Joey O’Brien knew when he got the start for Notre Dame against Purdue that it might just be a one-game audition. Given how well he played, he may get much more playing time. And if he does, the last person surprised by that would be O’Brien.
O’Brien had one of the best games of any Notre Dame defender on Saturday night. After the game, he showed the kind of confidence that will go a long way just as his career gets started. His confidence really showed itself when a reporter brought up comparisons to Kyle Hamilton.
“I mean, it’s a great feeling to be compared to him, but I’m Joey O’Brien. I gotta do what I gotta do. Of course, we have the same traits, stuff like that. But I’m just trying to be the best me, and just be the best player to help this team.”
Hamilton is one of the biggest defensive success stories to come out of South Bend in this era. He’s now also one of the best defenders in the NFL. With him and Xavier Watts, Notre Dame is becoming Safety U, and after his first career start, O’Brien looks like he might keep that rolling.
Joey O’Brien embraces his own identity amid Kyle Hamilton comparisons at Notre Dame
The true freshman also talked about how he approached his first start, and his explanation goes a long way in explaining why he played as well as he did.
“I kind of told Luke [Talich] I wasn’t too nervous going out there. I feel like playing a little bit in those first couple games. That kind of helped me. Of course, you’re starting on the No. 3 team in the country, it’s a great feeling and nerves definitely were high. But all the guys were very supportive of me. They calmed me down, made sure I knew what I was doing.”
It was Talich’s injury last weekend against Michigan State, when he was starting in place of injured Brauntae Johnson, that gave O’Brien his big chance against Purdue.
Speaking of Johnson and Talich, O’Brien said he was told he would be starting last Tuesday, and after he got the news, he talked quite a bit with the two veteran safeties about the best way to approach things.
He added that both guys he’s learning from helped him a lot as he recorded five tackles and his first career sack on a safety blitz.
His outing on Saturday continued a rapid rise. O'Brien was a 5-star safety in the 2026 recruiting class. The 6-foot-5, 203-pound defensive back attended La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, before enrolling at Notre Dame. He finished as the No. 31 player in the 2026 class, the No. 2 safety, and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
As a senior in 2025, O'Brien did damage on both sides of the field. He caught 85 passes for 1,250 yards and 18 touchdowns while recording 49 tackles, 4 interceptions, 12 pass breakups, one sack, and one fumble recovery on defense. He helped La Salle College win the Pennsylvania Class 6A state championship, recording 10 receptions for 99 yards and three interceptions, including a touchdown return, in the championship game.
O’Brien was an early enrollee at Notre Dame this winter and had a fantastic spring session right up until he was injured in the Blue-Gold Game. Despite some concerns that he might miss valuable practice time, he returned for the start of preseason practice and saw limited action in the team’s first three games.
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