Top Penn State Recruiting Targets Commit to Notre Dame
Top Penn State Recruiting Targets Commit to Notre Dame originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The college football recruiting scene has not been kind as of late to Penn State. In the past week the Nittany Lions lost two of their top recruiting targets. Class of 2026 players Khary Adams (four-star) and Joey O'Brien (four-star) both committed to play at Notre Dame. The two are both ranked in the ESPN top 200 recruits list for their class. O'Brien and Adams each had Penn State listed in their top choices, prior to their official commitment.
Joey O'Brien
O'Brien is listed as the No. 4 defensive back in the class of 2026 according to ESPN. He is listed at at 6'4" and weighs in at 185 LBS. His speed and wide range of motion got him on the Irish's radar, as well as Penn's.
The Nittany Lions were looking to add some more safety depth, after losing starter Kevin Winston Jr., who got drafted 82nd overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Winston was highly touted after his 2023-2024 sophomore season. In his junior season this past year, he went out week two last season with a torn ACL against Bowling Green. This opened the flood gates for someone new to make an impact. Sophomore A.J. Harris had no problem in doing that. He helped there be little to no fall off when Winston jr. went down. Penn State finished considered as a top-10 defense, and Harris' draft stock climbed. On a "way too early" mock draft ESPN's Jordan Reid had Harris landing in the first round, getting drafted 18th overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
With Harris being back in the safety stable this season, and Penn landing another highly praised player from the transfer portal in the same position, King Mack (Alabama). It leads to the question is this position really a vital need for Penn?
They seem to think so, because they swung and missed on another top DB recruit in the class of 2026.
Khary Adams
Adams was ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect by ESPN, and the 8th ranked cornerback. On June 20 he made his commitment to Notre Dame official.
With NIL playing a massive part in getting top tier talent, Penn State may be trending in the wrong direction. While the team who flatlined their chances of a national championship last year, seeming to be trending upwards.
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On June 22 Offensive tackle, Grayson McKeough (four-star) commited to Notre Dame . He had Penn State among his final choices, but the top rated tackle, like O'Brien and Adams opted to play for the Fighting Irish.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
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