"I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did": Dan Lanning and Oregon staff make four-star athlete feel like "a top priority"

Dan Lanning and his Oregon coaching staff are enjoying a huge recruitment momentum by being in the mix for multiple blue-chip prospects in the 2026 class. One of their key targets in the cycle is four-star athlete Joey O’Brien, who said the Ducks made a "great first impression" on him following last week's trip.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did," O'Brien told On3's Chad Simmons. "They made a great first impression. They showed me that I’m really a top priority for them.

"The football facilities, the dorms and even a couple of places a lot of players go. They even showed me the new football facility that they are going to build."

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The 6-foot-4, 180-pound prospect plays both safety and wide receiver at the high school level. As a junior in the 2024 season, he logged 36 tackles, 13 pass breakups, one interception and on offense, racked up 68 catches for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Earlier this month, O'Brien stood out at the OT7 tournament in Dallas, and On3’s Steve Wiltfong called him one of the most dominant players in the event’s brief history, praising his knack for creating turnovers.

"I feel like that's when I play the best," O'Brien told Clemson247. "When the pressure is on and the lights are big, that's when I play the best."

Volunteer Country likened O’Brien's high school highlights to those of Baltimore Ravens standout safety Kyle Hamilton.

Joey O’Brien shares his affinity towards the Oregon coaching staff

Joey O'Brien is the No. 2 recruit in Pennsylvania and the No. 69 talent nationally, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He had already narrowed down his recruiting list to six colleges, including Oregon, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Tennessee.

As a versatile player, O’Brien remains a top priority for the Ducks' coaching staff, and they laid out the pitch during last week's visit.

"I had meetings, lunches and dinners with all the coaches," O’Brien told On3. "Having coach Lanning, coach (Chris) Hampton, and coach Tosh (Lupoi) there all the time really made me feel like a priority. I spent the most time with coach Hampton and coach Lanning. They are so down-to-earth and easy to talk to."

Oregon has eight committed players in the 2026 class, ranking No. 4 in the nation.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Krutik Jain