Imagine a tall, 6-foot-2 defensive back with world-class speed—his 100-meter dash time is 10.7 seconds—and the type of do-it-all ability that allows him to reign over both sides of the ball as a WR and a DB. In 11 games as a junior, Khary Adams totaled 43 tackles, 3 interceptions, and even had 34 catches for 562 yards and 6 touchdowns, showing he’s a real two-way threat. Now, picture the recruiting process. Adams is the type of player who has every Power Four school drooling. Offers were rushed in by 27 programs, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, Clemson, LSU, even USC, and Tennessee. But one school outshone everyone…
The turning point came in South Bend. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, under head coach Marcus Freeman, prioritized Adams. The young prospect made four trips to South Bend, connecting with players and other recruits, immersing himself in the campus atmosphere and energy of the coaching staff. “It was nice getting around them,” Adams said to On3. “If I were to attend there, they would be in my class.” With June arriving, pressure picked up. Adams had official tours scheduled at Penn State, South Carolina, and Michigan, but after his last visit to Notre Dame, the choice appeared inevitable.
He canceled his scheduled trip to Oregon. An indication that his mind was made up on. Not only that. Adams committed to the Fighting Irish on Friday, June 20, 2025, the same day he was supposed to visit Oregon. His ND commitment makes him the No. 3 cornerback in the 2026 class—No. 36 overall—and a five-star possibility if he continues to rise in the rankings.
“First, I want to thank God for blessing me with talent. I would also like to thank all the coaches who took a chance on me and recruited me. Thank you to every coach who has coached me and prepared me for this moment. GO IRISH,” Adams wrote on X. The fit was immediate, and the values fell into place. Having grown up in a Catholic school, Adams appreciated the sense of familiarity and purpose he found at Notre Dame, something more important to him than bling-filled boasts from other programs.
First ,I want to thank God for blessing me with talent. I would also like to thank all the coaches who took a chance on me and recruited me. Thank you to every coach who has coached me and prepared me for this moment. GO IRISH https://t.co/bwwKJnLMzS
— Khary Adams (@KharyAdams6) June 20, 2025
ND’s Defensive backs coach, Mike Mickens, had a great deal to do with it. When he first pitched Adams last summer, “We’re going to win a chip. Believe that,” Mickens said. They founded the organization on trust and a vision of growth, both on and off the field. Adams was looking for a place that would prepare him for life outside the field. “I want to go somewhere that would get me a good education, set me up for life outside of football,” he explained. That’s what made Notre Dame stand out.
Adams spent time with current players, talked to fellow recruits. He immersed himself in the culture that makes Notre Dame special. “It was good, and I really saw everything. I hung up with the players, and I got to learn more about the school. I like the school, I like the values of good football and development,” Adams told Irish Sports Daily on Sunday. He was treated by sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore and hung out with fellow DB recruit Joey O’Brien, forging connections that were more like friendships than protocol.
Oregon’s missed opportunity with Khary Adams
Khary Adams’ commitment to Notre Dame created shock waves throughout the world of college football recruiting, but nowhere were the effects more than in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks’ coaching staff, anchored by head coach Dan Lanning, had exerted immense effort into establishing a connection with Adams, pitching him on the opportunity to play in the Big Ten and be part of a program that consistently produces NFL-caliber talent. And his OV scheduled to Oregon on June 20 made many anticipate a positive outcome of Coach Lanning’s efforts. But…
Adams disembarked from his official visit to Notre Dame in mid-June. After that, defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and head coach Marcus Freeman were too much to resist. So, Adams did something that few top prospects do: he canceled his official visit to Oregon. That was the tremor that went through the Ducks’ recruiting war room. Oregon scrambled, realizing they had lost one of the best defensive backs in the 2026 class.
And why not worry? 247Sports’ Hudson Standish says Adams “owns the physical specs to erase receivers in man coverage, along with the top-end speed to recover and make plays on the ball at the catch point.” Losing a player of such calibre is indeed devastating. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Oregon. The Ducks had put in time, effort, and resources into recruiting Adams. Now, they’ll have to seek elsewhere.
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