When Notre Dame football starts its spring practices, it will kick off the 2026 recruiting push in a big way.
In just a few days, the Irish are going to be hosting one of the best recruits in the cycle. Joey O’Brien also just happens to be one of the best players in the state of Pennsylvania.
O’Brien, a 4-star athlete out of La Salle in Glenside will be seeing what the Notre Dame football team has to offer in person this coming week. He will reportedly be visiting campus on March 19, just one day after he visits hated Irish rival Michigan on March 18.
Notre Dame football hosting a bigwig right after St. Patrick’s Day
O’Brien has already set up his official visit schedule but this spring, he’s going to be getting some visits out of the way to help him figure out just where he wants to go.
O’Brien’s Wednesday visit is far from the first time he’s taken a visit to Notre Dame. He made several stops last year, including another early March trip in 2024.
He’s also set on coming to see the Fighting Irish on June 3. That trip will be among several this summer as O’Brien, who is ranked the No. 91 player in the 2026 class according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings, will have a very busy end of May and June.
On May 30, the athlete who projects as a defensive back at the next level will take an official to Clemson. He’s then slated to see Notre Dame football on June 3, then Oregon on June 6, Tennessee on June 13 and finally Ohio State on June 20. While there isn’t an official commitment date, O’Brien would almost certainly like to land on a final school before the 2025 season starts.