Why Elite Recruit Joey O'Brien Committed To Notre Dame Over Oregon Ducks

Four-star safety recruit Joey O'Brien revealed his commitment on Friday, deciding to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and coach Marcus Freeman over the Oregon Ducks, Clemson Tigers, and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Apr 12, 2025; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman waits to run onto the field during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. / Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Four-star safety recruit Joey O'Brien committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish over the Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Clemson Tigers as he announced his decision on Friday, June 20, on 247Sports' YouTube channel.

Notre Dame also landed four-star cornerback Khary Adams on Friday, giving the Fighting Irish some momentum on the recruiting trail. O'Brien mentioned that Notre Dame's 2026 recruiting class was part of his interest in the Fighting Irish.

In an interview with 247Sports' Brian Dohn after committing, O'Brien revealed why he chose Notre Dame.

"It's really all about culture. To go away to college like that, you need to go to a place where you love, and it's all about the people. I feel like I have a great relationship with the people at Notre Dame. and it's just like, I trust Coach Marcus Freeman with my life really. Like he's the type of dude that I want to go to battle for," O'Brien told Dohn.

Oct 21, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

If the order of his official visits were any indication of where O'Brien might be leaning in his recruitments, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish had the upper hand. O'Brien visited Notre Dame the weekend of June 13 after taking trips to Oregon (June 6), Clemson (May 30), and Penn State (May 16).

In a video teasing his commitment, O'Brien spoke about his dreams of playing college football and thanked his coaches and teammates.

"I've been totally blessed to be in this situation. Not a lot of kids get it, and it's just a great feeling just to have the opportunities to do what I do. I always had dreams to play Division 1 football, but it was always just a dream until my freshman year, went into the OT7 Championship. And that's when I realized like 'Dang, I can really do this. I'm sticking with these guys. I got what it takes to do it," said O'Brien. `

With O'Brien being a top recruit from the state of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame, Penn State, and even Clemson had a distance advantage over Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. However, distance has not stopped Lanning and his staff from pursuing national targets like O'Brien in the past.

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According to 247Sports' rankings, O'Brien is the No. 65 overall recruit in the country, the No. 6 safety prospect, and the No. 2 player out of Pennsylvania.

Apr 26, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts from the field during the first quarter of the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The White team defeated the Blue team 10-8. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State has dominated in-state recruiting, landing five of the top-10 prospects from Pennsylvania, per 247Sports' rankings. However, the Nittany Lions were unable to reel in one of the top recruits from the state.

In March, On3's Steve Wiltfong predicted Notre Dame to land O'Brien, and Wiltfong's prediction held true on Friday.

Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler (8) celebrates during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After visiting Oregon earlier in June, O'Brien spoke with 247Sports' Brian Dohn about the trip:

"With Oregon always getting the best players, if I would have a path to play. I thought it was big how they showed me the path to play and how there is an exact plan for me to play early. I thought that was cool," O'Brien told 247Sports.

O'Brien also raved about his time spent with Lanning, revealing that the Ducks showed him both defensive and offensive meetings as part of his visit in Eugene. After landing five-star safety Jett Washington on Thursday, Oregon's coaches will look elsewhere to finish the Ducks' defensive back recruiting class.

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