Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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40 MARCH 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy class of 2021 safety Khari Gee landed an offer from Notre Dame March 2 when former safe- ties coach Terry Joseph extended a scholarship. But not much ever came of it with the pandemic having such a strong effect on recruiting. "I never really gave Notre Dame a chance. I couldn't visit because of the pandemic," Gee said. Gee committed to LSU over Clem- son and many others in May, but due to a few circumstances he decided to pursue other options. Gee contacted less than a half-dozen schools a week before the early signing period in De- cember, and Notre Dame was on the list. Georgia Tech and Oregon were also among the schools he reached out to. "I wasn't really talking to Notre Dame this fall," Gee explained. "I just got back in contact with Coach Joseph a week before signing day. That's when I decided I wanted to look at other places besides LSU." There wasn't much time between Gee beginning to back off his LSU pledge before eventually signing with the Fighting Irish. He holds no ill will against the Tigers program, but he saw some changes happening and the coaches started discussing him potentially moving to a different position. "It was about a two-week process," Woodward Academy assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ryan Da- vis said. "He wanted to make sure he had some other options on the table. I asked him which schools he was interested in, and he mentioned Notre Dame. "My thought was that Notre Dame is a lot like the school he's at now when you talk about the academics and the school setting. I told him to do his research and that I'd reach out to the Notre Dame coaches." Davis made it very clear that Gee had the option to stick with his LSU commitment. Reports surfaced that the school was looking to pull Gee's scholarship, but Davis refutes that. "That is 100 percent not the case," Davis stated. "He just did not feel comfortable and wanted to make sure he had other options on the ta- ble. They did propose the idea of him moving to a different position, but he did not get dropped." Four-Star Khari Gee's Flip From LSU Continues Georgia Pipeline Gee was committed to LSU, but the Tigers' coaches started talking to him about changing positions in December, so he quickly reopened the recruiting process and found the perfect fit at Notre Dame. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM KHARI GEE SAFETY 6-3 · 185 WOODWARD ACADEMY ATLANTA RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 29 25 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 42 44 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 44 30 STATISTICS • Played in 32 career high school games, and totaled 118 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, four in- terceptions, eight passes broken up, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. • Posted 37 tackles, five tackles for loss and two interceptions during his 11-game senior season. NOTABLE • 2020 Georgia class 5A preseason All-State first-team defense. • 2020 MaxPreps Georgia All-State second- team defense. • 2019 Georgia class 4-AAAA all-region second- team defense. • Also played for the Woodward baseball team. • High school teammate of class of 2022 running back Damari Alston, who holds a Notre Dame offer. RECRUITMENT • Earned an offer from Notre Dame in March 2020, but committed to LSU over Clemson two months later. • Was locked in with the Tigers before deciding to open things back up close to the early signing period in mid-December. • Got in touch with former Notre Dame safe- ties coach Terry Joseph a week before the early signing period, informed the staff of his decision Dec. 15 and announced his signature Dec. 18. • Has not visited Notre Dame's campus yet. 2021 PROJECTION • Gee has an opportunity to step in and play safety next to Kyle Hamilton as a true freshman. We figure to see Gee on Notre Dame's special teams units in 2021. THEY SAID IT Woodward Academy assistant coach Ryan Da- vis: "He's always been a quiet young man. He does right in the classroom. He just does what he's supposed to do. He's a good team player, competes hard. He's bought into the weight room. Most kids don't like the weight room, but he's busting his tail. "He'll do whatever you tell him to do — play re- ceiver or run down and make tackles on kickoffs. He has a great family background and academics are important to him." Rivals Southeast recruiting analyst Chad Sim- mons: "Notre Dame is getting a true student- athlete first off. He was emerging as a baseball prospect a couple of years ago, too, but he gave that up to focus on football — that has paid off. "Gee is an athletic safety with range, the ability to cover a lot of ground on the back end of the defense and physicality. He has great ball skills, he is an instinctive defender and he will add good weight/muscle over time." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Gee is player who possesses all the tools for future stardom. He has football smarts, takes few missteps and shows an uncanny knack of diagnos- ing plays before they happen. He excels in cover- age and has the footwork and loose hips needed to play either free or strong safety in college. "Physical, smart, strong and athletic is a good way to describe Gee. He's also a tackling machine and a true talent with a bright future."