Notre Dame's 5-Star Friday: Joey O'Brien Spurns Penn State For Irish

And Marcus Freeman just went into Pennsylvania and earned the commitment of the state's best player, stealing him out of the grasp of Penn State, who desperately wanted him to stay home.

Make no mistake about it, O'Brien is this Notre Dame class's crown jewel. He's such an athletically gifted talent who can step on the field and contribute on day one.

These are the types of players that Notre Dame always needs more of - instant impact heavy hitters.

What a terrific recruiting win for Marcus Freeman, Mike Mickens, and crew.

Could O'Brien play wide receiver at Notre Dame?

While O'Brien is primarily ranked and slated as a defensive player, and a darn great one, he's also a skilled wide receiver. While it may seem far-fetched to some, I wouldn't totally count out the notion that he catches some passes for the Irish.

With an athlete as gifted as O'Brien, and as much as Notre Dame has struggled on the recruiting trail with wide receivers lately, why limit the optionality the Irish have with such a dynamic player?

I know one person who may be interested in exploring this idea. Notre Dame OC Mike Denbrock, who knows talent when he sees it.

Notre Dame has had a great week on the trail so far with the pickups of tackle Grayson McKeogh, then Khary Adams, and Joey O'Brien adding to the defensive backfield.

The Irish are gaining momentum and expect more good news on the recruiting front in the coming weeks.

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