Elite Defensive Back Joey O'Brien Commits To Notre Dame

Notre Dame has landed yet another big time defensive back with the Irish landing a commitment from Philadelphia (Pa.) LaSalle College star Joey O'Brien. A top target for Notre Dame for almost two years, O'Brien picked Notre Dame over Clemson, Oregon and Penn State among many others.

The 6-4, 185-pound two-way star has been a frequent visitor to Notre Dame over the last two years. He was originally recruited as a cornerback, but in recent months safety became more of a focus. O'Brien could also play wide receiver at Notre Dame. That versatility is a big reason why O'Brien is such a big time prospect, and why he was such a priority for the Fighting Irish staff.

O'Brien is a dominant two-way player for LaSalle. He's rangy, athletic and was a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the 10-1 Explorers. O'Brien is a smart and instinctive football player as well, and it combines with his unique athletic skills to allow him to dominate at the prep level. After a dominant 7-on-7 session, O'Brien vaulted up the rankings and also became a much hotter prospect, but in the end the long-time relationship with Notre Dame and Mike Mickens won the day.

Adding O'Brien comes right on the heels of landing big time cornerback Khary Adams, who committed to Notre Dame earlier this afternoon. Notre Dame added Top 100 cornerback Ayden Pouncey in April and talented cornerback Chaston Smith in December. The addition of O'Brien gives Notre Dame arguably the best secondary group in the country. O'Brien is also a teammate of offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh, who committed to Notre Dame on Wednesday.

As a junior, O'Brien racked up 36 tackles, 13 pass break ups and one interception. On offense he was dominant, hauling in 68 passes for 1,029 yards (15.1 YPC) and 12 touchdowns.

O'Brien is ranked as a Top 75 caliber prospect on the Notre Dame board, and he also earned a 5.0-star upside grade. He is ranked as a five-star recruit and the nation's No. 30 overall play and No. 4 safety by 247Sports. He's also ranked as a Top 100 recruit by On3. 

The LaSalle star earned scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, UCLA, Indiana, Boston College, Syracuse, Duke and Stanford. 

O'Brien is the 19th player to commit to Notre Dame. He joins Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Texas running backs Javian Osborne, Georgia running back Jonaz Walton, Florida wide receiver Dylan Faison, Georgia wide receiver Bubba Frazier, Pennsylvania offensive linemen Tyler Merrill and McKeogh, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin, North Carolina ends Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham, Texas defensive tackle Tiki Hola, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., Ohio linebacker Jakobe Clapper, Adams, Pouncey and Smith.