The Michigan football team is in good standing with a number of 2026 recruits, and one of its top targets is four-star athlete Joey O'Brien. O'Brien is a top-50 prospect, and he recently narrowed his list of college options down to six schools. The Wolverines made the cut, and they are joined by Notre Dame, Oregon, Tennessee, Clemson and Penn State.

Joey O'Brien is a four-star recruit according to 247Sports. He is the #48 player in the 2026 class, the #5 ATH and the #1 player in the state of Pennsylvania. O'Brien currently attends La Salle College for high school in Glenside, PA. Penn State will especially be tough competition for Michigan here because of its close proximity to O'Brien.

“Lanky perimeter playmaker with the athleticism and ball skills to make an impact wherever he lines up at the next level,” O'Brien's scouting report reads. “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.”

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It's unclear what position O'Brien would play if he did come to the Michigan football program, but he has a lot of potential in numerous areas of the game.

“Has also proven to be a willing participant in run support despite being a bit slender,” the scouting report reads. “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.”

Michigan hasn't picked up a ton of 2026 commitments yet, but Joey O'Brien is certainly a target to watch.