Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 41 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE W h e n G e e c o n s i d e re d o t h e r schools to look at, Notre Dame's big- gest supporter was his family. "My parents always thought it would be a good fit, but never really expressed that to me," he admitted. "When I was looking for other op- tions, they suggested Notre Dame. "My parents introduced the idea of hitting up Notre Dame because of the high academic and athletic stan- dards. They thought it'd be a good fit for me." This led Gee to reaching out to someone he hadn't talked with in several months. "Coach Joseph was surprised for sure, but he was happy to hear from me," Gee recalled. "From there, it just took off," Davis added. "Khari felt at ease with Notre Dame." With just a week before the early signing period, Gee and Notre Dame's contact was hot and heavy. The Irish staff fit a few months of recruiting into a one-week span. "I was still deciding early Tuesday, but then I came to the decision mid- day and told them Tuesday night," Gee said. "It was pretty hectic — a lot of Zoom conversations, a lot of FaceTimes with Coach Joseph. "I talked with Coach [Brian] Kelly. I also talked to the players and com- mits from Georgia, too. I was chop- ping it up with them a lot to get their perspective on Notre Dame as a whole." Irish faithful love to hear that an- other versatile safety from the state of Georgia is joining the program. Atlanta Marist's Kyle Hamilton has worked out quite well through his two years in South Bend. Gee contacted Hamilton to get a better perspective on Notre Dame. "I was checking off the boxes with their academics and athletics," Gee explained. "Kyle told me how he's succeeded there and played early. And I just decided to pull the trigger." "He had a lot of conversations with Kyle Hamilton," Davis added. "Their families know each other and he had some really good insight. Marist — the school Hamilton went to — is a lot like Woodward Academy. That helped Khari feel a lot more comfort- able with his decision, too." The question about Gee's posi- tional fit should probably be framed by asking what he can't play. No, he won't put his hand in the dirt, but he shows off the ability to line up near the line of scrimmage, can excel at either safety spot and at times even played on the edge at cornerback. "Notre Dame told me that they see me as a versatile guy," Gee said. "I can play a lot of positions on defense, and I bring versatility to the table." Gee signed with Notre Dame de- spite the Irish just losing defensive coordinator Clark Lea to Vanderbilt, and a couple weeks later Joseph left for Texas. Notre Dame hired Marcus Free- man from Cincinnati to replace Lea and elevated graduate assistant Chris O'Leary to lead the safeties. At the time of publication, Gee had not spoken with O'Leary to BGI's knowledge, but the four-star pros- pect feels strongly about Freeman already. "He's excited about Coach Free- man," Davis said. "He says he's a cool dude and that they'll mesh well. Everything I've heard about Coach Freeman is that he'll be excellent for the program." Gee signed with Notre Dame with- out taking a campus visit. He hopes to take a trip up to South Bend some- time this spring to get his first in-per- son look at the school. He was able to ask his close friend and high school teammate, class of 2022 running back Damari Alston, for his take on South Bend, after the four-star previously visited for a game. Alston is a Notre Dame target, and Gee hopes he can convince Alston to be his teammate again. "I'll try to, yeah," Gee said. "He's pretty interested. He said he likes it and that it's a good place for him, too." After not signing a player from Georgia in 2020, the Irish landed four players from the Peach State in the 2021 cycle. Gee joined Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County tight end Cane Berrong, Athens (Ga.) Academy wide receiver Deion Colzie and Atlanta Pace Acad- emy wide receiver Jayden Thomas in Notre Dame's class. Berrong is from the northeast part of the state, so Gee isn't too familiar with him, but Colzie and Thomas both grew up in the Atlanta suburbs and have crossed Gee's path on a number of occasions. He should fit in well with his fellow Georgians at Notre Dame. "He's pretty laid back," Davis said of Gee. "He's quiet, not a big 'rah- rah' type kid. He's motivated, self- driven and extremely focused, which are all positive qualities. When the lights turn on, he becomes a different animal." ✦ Gee is one of four Irish signees in the 2021 class who are from the state of Georgia, joining tight end Cane Berrong, and wide receivers Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM