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Penn State Recruiting Notes: Top Prospect Joey O'Brien Set to Announce Decision

O'Brien, a 4-star safety from Pennsylvania, schedules June 20 announcement. Penn State is a finalist.

Mark Wogenrich

A general view of Penn State's Beaver Stadium prior to a 2024 Big Ten football game vs. Minnesota.
A general view of Penn State's Beaver Stadium prior to a 2024 Big Ten football game vs. Minnesota. / Matthew OHaren-Imagn Images
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Penn State looks for a big close to the June recruiting period, hosting its annual Lasch Bash and anticipating a commitment date from an important Pennsylvania target. Elsewhere, Penn State quarterback commit Troy Huhn is scheduled to compete in this week's Elite 11 Finals in California. Here's a look at where Penn State football stands as the college football recruiting calendar reaches its summer finish line.

Joey O'Brien sets commitment date

Penn State awaits some significant commitment decisions in June and July. Among the most important arrives Friday, when 4-star Pennsylvania safety Joey O'Brien is scheduled to announce his commitment.

O'Brien, who plays at La Salle College High, is the second-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the nation's sixth-ranked safety, according to the 247Sports Composite. He has whittled his exhaustive offer list to a group of four schools: Penn State, Notre, Dame, Clemson and Oregon. O'Brien has taken official visits to all four programs and appears ready to announce his decision.

O'Brien is one of the top players remaining on Penn State's 2026 recruiting list. The 6-3, 185-pound safety was the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division MVP at La Sallle after a spectacular two-way season in which he caught 68 passes for 1,029 yards on offense and made 36 tackles on defense. Though listed as a safety by the recruiting sites, O'Brien is a potential two-way player in college.

"[O'Brien is] viewed by some college coaches as a defensive back and others as a wide receiver, but [his] ceiling appears to be highest as a coverage ace that can shade passing windows and create takeaways...," Andrew Ivins, 247Sports director of scouting, wrote in a scouting report of OBrien.

Penn State has scored well in the Pennsylvania market for this cycle, receiving commitments from five of the state's top 10 prospects, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Nittany Lions likely will tangle with Notre Dame and Oregon for O'Brien's commitment. Stay tuned Friday.

Penn State receives commitment from 4-star North Carolina linebacker

Troy Huhn heads to Elite 11

The Elite 11 Finals quarterback competition begins June 17 in Los Angeles and will include Penn State's California commit. Troy Huhn, a 4-star prospect from Mission Hills, is among the 20 quarterbacks in the field for the annual high school showcase.

Huhn joins some of the nation's top high school prospects for the three-day event that includes "advanced, one-on-one quarterback coaching, intense competition, on-field drills, classroom instruction, and holistic development," according to the Elite 11 website. The camp emphasizes competition, as it annually chooses an Elite 11 roster and MVP at its conclusion.

​Huhn, the nation's 20th-ranked quarterback according to the 247Sports Composite, is in a field with top prospects Faizon Brandon (Tennessee), Dia Bell (Texas), Keisean Henderson (Houston), Jonas Williams (USC) and more.

Huhn and Peyton Falzone, the Pennsylvania quarterback who recently committed to Penn State, give the Nittany Lions' 2026 class two top-20 quarterbacks.

What's next for Penn State recruiting?

This weekend is Lasch Bash, Penn State's annual football event that marks the end of the summer recruiting calendar. College football enters a dead period June 23 that lasts through July, when coaches will take a few weeks of vacation.

Penn State usually has hosted the Lasch Bash in late July, but this year's calendar prompted a change. Penn State coach James Franklin has called the event part summer recruiting wrap and part look toward the future.

"[The Lasch Bash is] always the thing we’ve tried to look at as putting the finishing touches on the summer recruiting period," Franklin said at Big Ten Media Days in 2022. "I wouldn't necessarily say the [current] class, because there's still some moving parts, but kind of the finishing touches on that. It's not really a recruiting day. It's time for them just to come and have fun. We don't really do presentations. It's just, come and enjoy yourself. But it's always kind of been looked at as a springboard into the next recruiting class."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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