Notre Dame landed pledges from a pair of top 2026 defensive back targets Friday, edging a trio of rivals to the commitments of top-100 recruit Khary Adams and No. 4 athlete prospect Joey O’Brien.
Adams, ranked No. 68 in the 2026 ESPN 300, is ESPN’s No. 8 cornerback prospect for 2026. The 6-foot-2 and 180-pound defender from Baltimore chose the Fighting Irish over finalists Michigan, Oregon and Penn State, joining coach Marcus Freeman’s latest recruiting class as Notre Dame’s fourth top-100 pledge in the current cycle.
“Thank you to every coach who has coached me and prepared me for this moment,” Adams wrote on social media Friday afternoon. “GO IRISH.”
Hours later, Freeman and the Irish edged Oregon and Penn State again when O’Brien — Pennsylvania’s No. 3 recruit — announced his pledge to Notre Dame over the Ducks, Nittany Lions and Clemson.
Expected to play safety at the next level, O’Brien (No. 102 overall) told ESPN that the defensive backgrounds of Freeman and Irish defensive backs coach Mike Mickens was among the factors that ultimately swung his commitment to Notre Dame.
“They’re incredible people, and they know their stuff on football,” he said. “Those are coaches who will get you to the NFL. They run all the right stuff.”
In Adams and O’Brien, Notre Dame has its third- and fifth-ranked prospects, respectively, in a recruiting class that began Friday at No. 3 in ESPN’s team rankings in the cycle.
The defensive back duo joins the likes of defensive end Rodney Dunham (No. 56 overall) and outside linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. (No. 145) among seven top-300 defenders committed to the Irish.
Altogether, Notre Dame closed Friday with 14 ESPN 300 pledges in 2026, with a handful of top recruiting targets on campus for official visits this weekend, headlined by defensive end Elijah Golden (No. 84).
Alongside four-star safety pledge Ayden Pouncey (No. 161 overall), Adams and O’Brien make up the foundational duo atop the Irish’s incoming secondary class.
A standout contributor in all three phases at Loyola Blakefield (Maryland) High School, Adams recorded 43 tackles and three interceptions in his junior season last fall.
O’Brien, who carries two-way potential at the next level, set single-season school records for receiving yards (1,029) and touchdowns (12) while tallying 36 tackles at La Salle (Pennsylvania) College High School in 2024.
