P.J. O'Brien: DB · Pittsburgh · #5.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
P.J. O'Brien
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Fourth year in the Pittsburgh secondary. One game to point at: 6 tackles against California — Week 7, 2024.
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
33 tackles. 1 pass defended. 1 interception. 0.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Oct 24Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 33 | 20 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh | 41 | 24 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 3 |
| 2022 | Pittsburgh | 8 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Pittsburgh | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 97 | 57 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 4 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 55-24vs Kent State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-27@ Cincinnati | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-34vs West Virginia | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 73-17vs Youngstown State | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 34-24@ North Carolina | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 17-15vs California | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 41-13vs Syracuse | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 25-48@ No. 20 SMU | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 19-24vs Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 20-24vs No. 17 Clemson | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 9-37@ Louisville | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 23-34@ Boston College | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 46-48vs Toledo | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 20 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
Week 9 · 2024
W 41-13
vs Syracuse
1 interception · 2 tackles · 1 solo tackle
Dominant 28-point win at home against Syracuse.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
3%1 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
33tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%0 TFL33 tackles · 0.5 for loss · 1 pass breakup · 1 interception.
4 seasons under Pat Narduzzi — 30-22 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 2.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Road5g | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Pass share
54.5%
499 pass / 417 run
Plays / game
70.5
13 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
535 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2024
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #421 at the position.
How it ended
Four seasons at Pittsburgh, 97 tackles — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 38 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2021–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Pat Narduzzi.
