Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield's Khary Adams took his Notre Dame of- ficial visit during the weekend of June 13-15, and it started to click in his head that he would end up committing to the Fighting Irish. After taking a day to reflect after the trip, he knew Notre Dame was the place for him. He called up the staff to inform them of his decision, and a few days later, he announced it publicly. There was no ceremony, live stream or any- thing when he posted the news — just an On3 graphic to happily surprise Notre Dame nation. "I went on five official visits, and Notre Dame was just different," the elite corner- back told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I can't even describe it. It just felt like home." The June 13-15 official visit weekend this year may go down as one of the most successful in Notre Dame history. All but one of the 21 prospects who were on campus are now committed to the Irish. "The whole class bonded, and the whole weekend was great — talking ball and learning about what the school can do for you," noted Adams, the No. 4 cornerback and No. 34 overall player nationally per Rivals. Blue & Gold Illustrated has spoken with every prospect who visited that weekend, and each of them raved about the time they spent together and how they're all like-minded individuals. Notre Dame had five defensive backs in town — just two of them were already pledged to the Irish. Adams and two others picked Notre Dame soon after that weekend. "It played a big part because those are the guys I'll be up there with," Adams said. He announced his pledge to the Irish on the afternoon of June 20, and several hours after his commitment went live, Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College defen- sive back Joey O'Brien went public with his Notre Dame verbal as well. Adams and O'Brien became close friends over the past several months, seeing each other on recruiting visits and playing for the same seven-on- seven team. They were in communica- tion about committing on the same day, and they both did. "At the end of our official visit, I told him, 'I'm not going to lie; I'm probably going to commit here.' I was trying to get him to commit, too," Adams re- called. "He texted me after the visit and said, 'Let's do it.'" Adams' first official visit was to Penn State in May, followed up by a trip to South Carolina a couple weeks later. He tripped to Michigan June 6 and then to Notre Dame the following weekend. He visited Maryland June 18 for a local official visit, but the Terps were never considered a serious threat to land his commitment. "After the Penn State OV, I was think- ing, 'I'm going to Penn State,'" Adams noted. "After comparing Penn State and Notre Dame, I just felt more comfort- able and at home with Notre Dame." While the Nittany Lions took the lead after his May official visit, he still de- cided to take more trips. But after his Notre Dame official, he canceled his visit to Oregon that was going to take place from June 20-22. "I just felt it — I didn't see a need to go to Oregon," Adams said. "A lot of people were saying Oregon was my No. 1 school throughout the process, but it was really between Penn State and Notre Dame. Oregon was that third school." He still hears from Michigan and Penn State, but Adams has been clear he won't be entertaining other programs. "I'm locked in with Notre Dame," he said. As a junior, Adams recorded 34 recep- tions for 562 yards and 6 touchdowns, and posted 43 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions, per MaxPreps. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE KHARY ADAMS FILM ANALYSIS "Khary Adams is a high-upside corner and a really big recruiting get for Notre Dame. For starters, he has a really good frame at around 6-2 and 180 pounds. He has more room to add weight; you could project him being a 200-pound cornerback. That gives him excellent size at the position, and he's a very good athlete. He ran in the 10.7s in the 100 meters as a sophomore, and you see that athleticism on the field. "We love that he's a two-way player on Friday nights. He plays receiver and corner for his high school, and the receiver background lends well to his ball skills and ability to locate and make plays on the ball in coverage. "He's a big, boundary corner type. He's at his best when he's covering vertical routes. He has the long speed to stay in receivers' hip pockets downfield and can run with most receivers. His size will let him be physical at the line of scrimmage. Adams can impose his will in press situations." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Notre Dame Edges Out Big Ten Schools For Elite Cornerback Adams, the No. 4 cornerback and No. 34 overall player nationally per Rivals, committed to Notre Dame over Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and others. PHOTO BY CHAD SIMMONS/RIVALS