A Pennsylvania star is heading to the Buckeye state.
Penn senior quarterback Liam O’Brien announced his commitment to the University of Cincinnati for his final year of collegiate eligibility via Instagram on Sunday.
O’Brien entered the transfer portal following an impressive career with the Quakers, where he was quickly upgraded from back-up quarterback to starter after then-quarterback Adidan Sayin suffered a season-ending injury. He then quickly established himself as a Quaker mainstay after a record-breaking seven touchdown performance against Cornell, dubbed “Liamsanity.”
The Boulder, Colo. native appeared in less than four games his freshman year, qualifying him for an extra year of eligibility per NCAA redshirt standards.
O'Brien's senior season was his strongest yet, throwing 2,376 yards with a 67.2% completion rate, making First-Team All-Ivy selection. He was utilized on the field in a dual running back and quarterback role following fellow senior Julien Stokes’ untimely season-ending injury in mid-October, a testament to O’Brien’s versatility. O’Brien’s passing efficiency ranked No. 28 in the nation and No. 2 in the Ivy League at the close of the season despite not making it to FCS playoffs.
He joins a Bearcat program looking to improve from a 10th-place finish in the Big 12 during the 2025 regular season and a Liberty Bowl loss against the Naval Academy in the post season. He fills a vacant quarterback position left by Brendan Sorsby, who transferred to Big 12 Champion Texas Tech in a 1 million dollar buyout earlier this week.
His journey on the gridiron has been nothing short of remarkable. Initially scouted to play lacrosse at Cornell as a top midfielder from the 2021 recruiting class, O’Brien turned down the Big Red in favor of a budding football career with the Quakers.
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