Cook County All-Area captain O’Brien leads Fremd to best season in school history, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards

Talent, leadership, self-sacrifice and IQ.

It’s the four corners of what makes an athlete special.

Fremd’s Johnny O’Brien possesses all of these and a lot more. Because of that, O’Brien and Fremd had a season that will be difficult to replicate.

O’Brien threw for 2,771 yards while completing 64% (216 of 338) of his passes with 34 touchdowns. He also ran for 289 yards and four touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown run.

O’Brien showed his ability to hit his receivers with his laser-sharp left-handed missile into a tight window. He also delivered a soft touch, dropping a dime over the reach of a defender into the outstretched hands of a Viking receiver.

O’Brien added his scrambling ability which could remind older fans of Fran Tarkenton or his younger fans of Patrick Mahomes. That skill for O’Brien enabled him to avoid opposing defenses, extending plays which usually ended up as a completion downfield.

The senior led the Vikings to their best season in school history, making their first trip to the semifinals. Fremd went 11-2 in on the season, losing in the 8A semifinal game to eventual state champion Mt. Carmel. The only other loss for Fremd this season was to Barrington in a game that O’Brien did not play in due to an injury.

For his play and his leadership, O’Brien is being named as captain of the Daily Herald’s 2025 Cook County All-Area team for the second year in a row.

O’Brien becomes just the second Cook player to repeat as a captain. He joins Palatine’s Zach Oles, who also was a quarterback and was named captain in 2016 and 2017.

O’Brien was also named captain of the Cook County All-Area baseball team last spring. He will not have the opportunity to repeat there, since O’Brien will complete his course requirements for Fremd in December and then enroll at Northwestern in January.

O’Brien formally signed his letter of intent this past Wednesday after verbally committing to Northwestern before the start of his junior year.

“Johnny left a legacy that will be remembered for a long time,” Fremd coach Lou Sponsel said. I feel everyone in the program is excited for Johnny to move on and shine in the Big Ten. What Johnny has done is remarkable, and he continues to empower and challenge the 2026 team. The younger guys are passionate about continuing on the path these seniors set. Our offense might look a little different next season; however, the mentality and standards will not change.”

It was a year of quarterbacks in Cook County this season.

There are six quarterbacks that were named All-Area: Barrington’s Luke Tepas, Hersey’s Jake Nawrot, Maine South’s Jameson Purcell, Prospect’s Jackson Cacini and Rolling Meadows’ Joe Brigham along with O’Brien. Five more — Conant’s Tyler Marchese, Hoffman Estates’ Austin, Lesniak, Palatine’s Will Santiago, Schaumburg’s Ray Black and Wheeling’s Christian Campos — were named honorable mention.

O’Brien’s leadership on and off the field helped Fremd navigate a transformation in the program for the Palatine school. The Vikings were coming off back-to-back seasons of going 1-8 before O’Brien.

A starter since his sophomore season, O’Brien has put up mind-boggling numbers.

He has thrown for 7,741 yards and 85 touchdowns while completing 583 of the 904 passes he has thrown with a completion percentage of 64.5%. He also has led Fremd to back-to-back playoff appearances and a 20-4 record the past two seasons.

“It's awesome to be a part of the program and help turn it around,” O’Brien said. “It was great for the community. I watched the glory days of Fremd and was a water boy in third and fourth grade. My brother also played here and I got to watch all his games. It was exciting to see football back again at Fremd. I just loved, you know, being a part of the program.”

Sponsel said that O’Brien possesses all the tools to be successful at the next level and even beyond.

“Not only does Johnny have the physical gifts to be in the top percent of all quarterbacks, he possesses the multitude of intangibles that you see very few times in your career,” Sponsel said.

“His mental approach to the game, diligence with physical maintenance, his ability to elevate everyone around him, his refuse to lose nature, and his ability to connect with people are all rarities in today’s world. Some players have one or two of those traits and they are great players. Johnny has all of them, and I was fortunate enough to see them displayed every day.”

Sponsel said O’Brien’s ability to look at a defense from the line of scrimmage and change the play to exploit that defense is something special.

“His pre-snap and post-snap vision is nothing like I have ever seen.,” Sponsel said. “His film study helps him identify what is going to happen ahead of time. Combine that with his understanding of defensive systems and vulnerabilities to schemes, he knows how to exploit defenses and get us into the right play at the right time.”

Sponsel, who played college football himself at Northern Illinois and has coached several Fremd players that have gone on to play Division I college football, said he knows O’Brien will be successful at Northwestern.

“I believe Johnny will adapt to the college game very quickly,” Sponsel said. “He has a great approach to learning from mistakes and improving day to day. I think Johnny will arrive in Evanston on Jan. 4 and compete for the job from the minute he sets foot on campus. He is already working every day for that goal. I would not be surprised at all if Northwestern had a freshman starting at QB next fall.”

O’Brien can’t wait to get to Northwestern.

“I'm going to enroll early, so I'll be on campus Jan. 4,” O’Brien said. “I believe (Fremd offensive linemen Owen (Jakubczak) is going to be with me too, so it'll be nice to have him there. Brennan (Saxe) is already there. I love Northwestern and I have loved it since I was a kid. I mean, it's just something special. It just feels like home. And now that I've been committed for so long, I have a great relationship with all the coaches. And I've been on campus so many times. I Know where everything's at.”

Sponsel, who has called O’Brien a generational talent, said he will miss working with him.

“The thing I will miss most about Johnny is being on the field at practice with him,” Sponsel said. “There was not a day that I took for granted with him at practice. It is really humbling when you think about it, I get to spend several hours a day alongside one of the best football players I have seen in person, and the whole time we are working together for something greater than ourselves. While I will miss our time together, I am grateful for what he has instilled in others.”