‘It's been insanely hard to separate them' – Notre Dame pushing amongst a crowded group to flip a dynamic defender from the SEC

‘It's been insanely hard to separate them' – Notre Dame pushing amongst a crowded group to flip a dynamic defender from the SEC

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‘It's been insanely hard to separate them' – Notre Dame pushing amongst a crowded group to flip a dynamic defender from the SEC
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after a Notre Dame interception against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium.
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after a Notre Dame interception against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame is looking to flip a top recruiting target from an SEC program. The Fighting Irish are trending quickly for the dynamic defender.

Notre Dame is riding a lot of recruiting momentum for their 2027 class right now. Head coach Marcus Freeman, secondary coach Anthony Henry, and the Fighting Irish look like they’re on the cusp of signing a tremendous overall group in the secondary. 

The Irish staff already holds commitments from Xavier Hasan, Ace Alston, John Gay III, and Zayden Gamble, which is a tremendous start to the defensive back class. It appears that Notre Dame is still eyeing a couple of other talented targets to solidify the group. That includes a potential flip attempt at 2027 Manvel (Texas) High School defensive back Karnell “Greedy” James, who is currently committed to Texas. 

James isn’t a stranger to Notre Dame, having already taken an unofficial visit to South Bend this offseason. The Irish staff isn’t the only one that is also pursuing James. Ohio State and LSU are also pushing hard for the Longhorn commit, and things are about to heat up. 

“It’s been insanely hard to separate them,” James told Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. 

As of today, I like where Notre Dame is with James. Out of the three main contenders for the Texas commit, the Fighting Irish have the best chance to make this flip happen. The next several weeks will determine if Notre Dame is able to make it happen and close, but things are trending in a solid direction. 

Some programs view James as a safety, while others think he can also play nickel. Notre Dame appears interested in him as a cornerback, although his versatility is very intriguing.

Karnell “Greedy” James’ recruiting background

From a recruiting rankings perspective, James isn’t going to blow anyone away. He is currently considered to be a three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms, the exception being 247 Sports, which has him rated as the No. 26 safety in the class. 

On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, James is currently pegged as the No. 478 overall player, the No. 47 safety, and the No. 64 player from the state of Texas for the 2027 recruiting class. When you consider his offer list and overall talent, the ranking for James does leave some pretty puzzled, even if his rankings have been trending upward. 

James has seen his offer list continue to expand, even after being committed to the Longhorns on December 3 of last year. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Florida State, Texas Tech, Utah, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, TCU, Arizona State, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Houston, Baylor, Cal, SMU, Wisconsin, Oregon State, and Washington State, among others.

As a junior, James put together a tremendous season for Manvel. In 12 games, the 6-0, 170-pound cover man managed to collect 53 total tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups. James also recovered a fumble while returning two punts for touchdowns. This is a fast and fluid athlete who possesses a ton of upside.

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