Top Notre Dame recruiting target opts for a hated Fighting Irish rival, but the backup plan is already in motion
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Notre Dame football just missed out on a heralded 4-star defensive back, but the Fighting Irish staff already has a strong backup plan in place.
Notre Dame football has been riding a strong wave of recruiting momentum over the last several weeks. They were dealt some tough news over the weekend when 2027 LA Verne (Calif.) Damien safety Gavin Williams committed to the USC Trojans. Williams opted for the Trojans over the Fighting Irish, Washington, and UCLA.
This was a result that wasn’t a shock to the Notre Dame fans who follow recruiting closely. Head coach Lincoln Riley and USC had made a very strong push recently, and they exhausted every resource to get this one done. They wanted to keep the top talent at home in California, and they were able to make that happen, as expected.
On the Notre Dame side, they have already been preparing for this news. Over the last several months, the Irish staff has been actively recruiting Manvel (Texas) High School safety Karnell “Greedy” James, including hosting him for an unofficial visit to South Bend earlier this offseason. Getting the Texas commit back to campus for an official visit is the next point of emphasis for the Irish.
The confidence for Notre Dame’s push for James has begun to strengthen over the last couple of weeks. If the Irish staff keeps up its momentum, then I do believe that they could flip James from Texas when all is said and done.
Gavin Williams’ recruiting background
Williams is rated as a four-star player by every major recruiting platform. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Williams currently ranks as the No. 159 overall player, No. 11 safety, and No. 14 player in the state of California for the 2027 recruiting class. That is a territory that has consistently churned out next-level talent, including for the Fighting Irish in the past. The 247 Sports individual ranking has him rated highest, currently pegged as the No. 86 overall player in the class.
A long list of impressive suitors has been pursuing Williams. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon, Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma, Miami, USC, Nebraska, Utah, Florida State, Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Arkansas, BYU, SMU, Arizona State, UCLA, Arizona, Syracuse, West Virginia, Washington, Cal, Mississippi State, UNC, UCLA, and Oklahoma State among many others.
The 6-1, 180-pound defender has been a difference maker for Damien over the last two seasons. During that stretch, he has collected 85 total tackles, nine pass breakups, five pass breakups, five tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. His range and versatility are both fantastic and offer a ton of developmental upside.
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