Watch: 5-star recruit Joey O'Brien announces college commitment

Friday is the day for La Salle College (Pennsylvania) five-star safety Joey O'Brien.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound defensive back is rated the nation's No. 30 overall prospect and No. 4 safety, and is formally down to a final four of Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon and Penn State.

O'Brien will be announcing his commitment at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on 247Sports' YouTube Channel, which you can watch here: 

While four teams are officially in the mix, O'Brien's recruitment has appeared to center on Notre Dame and Oregon in recent weeks - with both believing they had a strong shot at some point this month.

As it heads into the final hours, however, many believe the Fighting Irish have emerged as the team-to-beat.

On Thursday, Oregon secured a major recruiting victory by landing Bishop Gorman (Nevada) five-star safety Jett Washington, the nephew of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

Washington's commitment gave the Ducks two safety pledges in the 2026 class, as he joined Eau Gallie (Florida) four-star recruit Xavier Lherisse.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, currently has just one safety pledge in 2026 - Winter Park (Florida) four-star recruit Ayden Pouncey. 

What will the "winning" school be getting?

247Sports compared him to NFL Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons and provided a lengthy scouting report:

"Lanky perimeter playmaker with the athleticism and ball skills to make an impact wherever he lines up at the next level. Viewed by some college coaches as a defensive back and others as a wide receiver, but ceiling appears to be highest as a coverage ace that can shade passing windows and create takeaways, which he has done time and time again at marquee 7-on-7 events."

"Mature field awareness and zone discipline constantly shows up on defense. Might lack the desired foot speed for an outside alignment on Saturdays, but can swallow up assignments with a frame that’s pushing 6-foot-4 and will fight with his hands positioning. Has also proven to be a willing participant in run support despite being a bit slender."

"As a pass catcher, can quickly flip the field for an offense as he gets vertical and makes acrobatic grabs over opponents. Needs some seasoning as a route runner, but is an overall smooth mover with easy acceleration that can go up and attack the football."

"Overall, should be viewed as one of the more unique prospects in the 2026 cycle given the fact that he could fit into a variety of different roles for a College Football Playoff contender. Lack of testing data yields an incomplete evaluation, but can rock the rim on the hardwood and has consistently turned heads in best-on-best settings."