Penn State football staffer could be key in landing No. 1 QB in 2025

Penn State football is still in the hunt for the No.1 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Bryce Underwood has a big decision ahead of him as he is about to choose his college home. This late in the recruiting game, the Nittany Lions still have a significant chance to land the No. 1 QB in the class, but the difference maker hasn’t been James Franklin. Instead, the difference maker for Underwood that has kept Penn State in the hunt is graduate assistant Danny O’Brien.

Penn State football staffer could be key in landing No. 1 QB in 2025

Bryce Underwood is set to make his decision this Saturday, January 6. According to 247sports, Underwood is the No. 1 overall prospect and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class. From Belleville, MI took a recent unofficial visit to Penn State back on September 23.

Wednesday, Steve Wiltfong, the Director of Recruiting for 247sports, wrote a piece called 5-star QB Bryce Underwood, 2025’s top recruit, ready to announce commitment. In this article, Underwood explained why Penn State football still has a shot with the No.1 player in 2025.

Underwood said, “Coach (Danny) O’Brien has been a big factor with me having them on my list. I feel like, without coach O’Brien, they wouldn’t be in the position they are, in my eye. They have a great coaching staff. They push their players amazing, and it’s a great place to be.”

Drew Allar’s connection with Danny O’Brien

Danny O’Brien is listed as an offensive graduate assistant according to the Penn State football directory. But many Nittany Lion fans saw him working what appeared to be a larger role after Mike Yurcich was fired in November.

Earlier this year, Drew Allar spoke about his relationship with O’Brien. He said, “Yeah, he’s been a huge part of my development. Just because with his new role, he’s able to be more hands-on with us. As opposed to last year where he wasn’t really able to coach us just because of all the technicalities with the rules.

“And I mean, I think he just sees it from both perspectives. Both as a coach and as a player. Obviously, he started under Coach Franklin when they were at Maryland together and they had a couple of good years at Maryland. And then, he played in the CFL for seven, eight years.

“He’s helped me out a ton with making things simplified, identifying defenses, and just really peeling it back to the next level. And making sure that I have a reason for doing everything.”

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