Coach perspective: Four-star CB Joey O’Brien brings must-win recruitment to Notre Dame on Thursday

Consider Brett Gordon the team historian of the Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High football program. As for the Explores’ first-year head coach’s expertise of Notre Dame football recruiting target Joey O’Brien , his grasp is still growing.

Gordon has been around La Salle football in some capacity for 15 of the last 20 years. He is the school’s former quarterback and knows plenty of its past players. When he wasn’t officially on staff, the former Villanova passer kept close tabs on the team and still frequently attended games.

That was where he discovered O’Brien.

“His sheer size at cornerback sticks out right away,” Gordon told Blue & Gold in a phone interview on Monday. “Then you see him move, and his ability as an overall athlete — his combination of foot speed, quickness and very good instincts to get around the football — stood out from a talent perspective.”

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound O’Brien posted 38 total tackles, 18 pass breakups and 3 interceptions. That helped him earn first-team All-Catholic and first-team All-Area honors as just a sophomore.

Still, he didn’t receive his first scholarship offer until Jan. 24, when Duke came calling. Since then, 18 other schools have followed suit, including the Fighting Irish, the second power conference program to offer. Notre Dame extended one to O’Brien during its St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event on March 17.

Entering his junior year, O’Brien is one of the most coveted prospects in the 2026 cycle. According to the On3 Industry Ranking, he’s a four-star who ranks as the No. 105 overall player, No. 11 safety nationally and No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania in 2026. The Irish recruit him as a cornerback.

As for O’Brien’s standing in the La Salle College High football program, he is tracking to be its highest-ranked recruit in the internet recruiting era. Gordon suggested that O’Brien’s promise goes beyond recruiting rankings, which began in 2002.

“There have been plenty of great players that have come through La Salle and made impacts not only at the high school level but collegiately and even some NFL players as well,” he said. “But when you look at it with face value, the combination of size, speed and ability to impact the game in so many different ways, I don’t think there’s ever been a prospect to come through La Salle with Joey’s upside.”

Joey O’Brien’s head coach discusses the four-star’s potential

How the recruiting media services evaluate O’Brien positionally aligns with how most schools project him: at safety. Although Gordon agrees with that assessment, O’Brien has proved he can also be a game-changer at cornerback.

“He’s gifted physically between his size and range…” Gordon said. “He is a little bit of an anomaly in terms of his size and athleticism. … He can impact the game in so many ways.”

But Gordon even believes O’Brien can play wide receiver. Last season, he caught 24 passes for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns. He will have a much bigger role in the offense this fall.

“He actually has outstanding ball skills,” Gordon said. “Joey hasn’t played a ton of offense since he’s been at La Salle, but he’s going to play a lot of offense, as well as defense, for us this year. I actually think receiver is potentially in his future if he wants it to be.”

Gordon said all the schools currently involved in his recruitment see him as a secondary prospect. However, some have inquired about his interest in playing offense.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” he said. “Listen, he’s gotten where he is today based on what he’s done in the secondary. But his catch radius, ability to run routes and an opportunity to where he’s going to have a lot of film of him playing offense as well, I wouldn’t be shocked if teams looked at him on either side of the ball.”

Background on O’Brien’s athletic profile

In addition to excelling on the gridiron, O’Brien is just as dominant on the basketball court. Last season, he had a highlight dunk with one shoe. Gordon backed O’Brien’s impact on the hardwood.

“All the things I described about him on the football field apply to the basketball court,” he said. “His range, athleticism and ability to impact the game in a bunch of ways were on display as well.”

If you know anything about O’Brien’s lineage, his hooping success should come as a little surprise. His older sister, Taylor O’Brien , played basketball for Florida State after four outstanding seasons at Bucknell. She was a two-time first-team All-Patriot League player before finishing her college career with the Seminoles.

Taylor was also an outstanding college track athlete. At one point, she held Bucknell’s record in the high jump by clearing a 5-7¼ mark. As for Joey, he has competed in the 100-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles. However, Gordon said the primary focus of his track career was to help with his running ability.

O’Brien’s parents are exceptional athletes, too. His mother, Tishara , played basketball and volleyball at Cumberland University, an NAIA school in Lebanon, Tenn. His father, Joseph , was also a dual-sport athlete at Cumberland, playing football and baseball. He ended up in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system after college.

Gordon described O’Brien’s family as “close” and said he wouldn’t be surprised if he chose to play college football somewhere his parents could easily watch him play regularly. With the help of a connecting flight, they could make it to South Bend from Philadelphia in about 4.5 hours.

O’Brien will make that trip on Thursday when he returns to Notre Dame for an unofficial visit. He visited campus for the first time on March 7. Michigan, another school of interest, will host him on Saturday.

Entering this week, only Penn State welcomed him to campus more than the Irish, which, in Gordon’s experience, would indicate a good sign for the outcome of his Notre Dame football recruitment — even if it’s far from over.

“The fact that this one is on the docket again tells me that he likes what he sees so far from Notre Dame,” Gordon said.

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