Notre Dame football predicted to land elite five-star that could make an impact at several key positions for the Fighting Irish

Head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football are fresh off of their biggest recruiting weekend of the year. When you are coming off such a huge event, everyone is hoping for a lot of great news on the horizon. It appears that is very much the case.

Heading into that official visit weekend, there were a lot of conflicting reports surrounding 2026 Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College five-star athlete Joey O'Brien. Notre Dame was right near the top of the list, but there was also a lot of optimism on the side of Oregon, Penn State, and Clemson. 

Following the weekend, the Fighting Irish are riding a wave of momentum. With O'Brien set to make his commitment on June 20th, more and more people are starting to pick Notre Dame. That includes 247Sports Clemson Insider Austin Hannon who put in a crystal ball for the Pennsylvania native to head to South Bend. 

O’Brien is rated as a five-star, the No. 30 overall player, the No. 4 safety, and the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania in the 2026 class according to 247Sports. Some see O’Brien as a safety, and others at wide receiver, while Notre Dame valued him at the cornerback position initially. At 6-4 and 190 pounds, he is a tremendous athlete who brings a lot of upside and versatility to the table. 

On top of his finalists, O'Brien has put together a long list of impressive offers. Some of the top schools that have offered him include Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, Michigan State, Missouri, Syracuse, West Virginia, Stanford, Boston College, UCLA, Duke, Indiana, and Illinois among many others. 

As a junior, O'Brien put together a tremendous season for La Salle. On defense, he collected 36 total tackles, one interception, and 13 pass breakups. O'Brien was even better on offense, where he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown just to show off his overall talent.

While Notre Dame initially targeted O'Brien as a cornerback, they now view him as a true athlete. There is a chance that he ends up at either safety or even wide receiver, while the former is more likely. Either way, this is an elite athlete that you figure out the fit later on.