Joey O’Brien: Penn State’s Key 2026 Safety Target Sets Official Visit

Joey O’Brien, an elite in-state safety prospect and one of Penn State football’s top 2026 recruiting targets, has officially scheduled his visit to Happy Valley for the weekend of May 18. The La Salle College standout announced the visit on X, on Wednesday.

It is the first official visit announced by O'Brien but it certainly won't be his last as the four-star prospect is being pursued by some of the nation's best programs including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Oregon.

The May official visit date is an interesting one as the Nittany Lions tend to prefer their top targets to visit campus in June. While that visit date potentially could change, the most important thing for the Nittany Lions right now is to get O'Brien on campus for an official visit.

A Rivals250 recruit, O'Brien is considered a top-five talent in the Keystone State and is the only one of the top five currently uncommitted. In-state No.1 OL Kevin Brown, No.3 Messiah Mickens, and No. 5 Matt Sieg are all committed to Penn State while No. 2 IOL Tyler Merrill recently committed to Notre Dame.

O'Brien has been a frequent visitor to Happy Valley during his recruitment as he nears double-digit visits. He made three game-day visit this past season, making the trip from the Philadelphia area for the Nitatny Lions' matchups against Illinois, Ohio State, and Maryland.

Last month, Penn State sent a large contingent of coaches to a La Salle basketball game to see O'Brien as well as La Salle offensive lineman Grayson McKeogh.