Notre Dame football predicted to land elite defensive back that could set a new standard for secondary coach Mike Mickens

Notre Dame football is coming off of their biggest recruiting weekend of the year, and so far the buzz has not died down. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are expecting a ton of good news in the future. There are several top 2026 recruiting targets who are now entering decision making mode. 

One player that there has been a lot of buzz around recently is priority 2026 Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield star cornerback Khary Adams. The Fighting Irish have been in a heated battle with the Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks for the services of the talented cover man. 

On3 vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong has put in an expert prediction for Notre Dame to land Adams. Following the official visit over the weekend, I also verified that I felt the Irish would win out for Adams. He is scheduled to take his final official visit to Oregon this weekend, but some question whether he will make the trip. 

If Notre Dame does indeed close on Adams, he would be the highest ranked recruit that Mike Mickens has signed with the program. Having that type of talent, on top of the development of Mickens, has superstar potential. 

Adams is considered to be a four-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms, and a top-100 overall player by multiple of them as well. He ranks highest by 247Sports, where the Maryland native currently ranks as the No. 36 overall player, No. 3 cornerback, and No. 4 player in the state of Maryland for the 2026 recruiting class. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Adams is pegged as the No. 75 player in the class. 

The 6-2, 175-pound cover man has been pursued by a long list of impressive programs. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Oregon, Michigan, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC, Clemson, Miami, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn, South Carolina, Maryland, Michigan State, Kentucky, UNC, NC State, UCLA, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, West Virginia, Minnesota, Boston College, Indiana, Georgia Tech, and Rutgers among several others.

As a junior, Adams was a tremendous two-way performer for Loyola Blakefield. On the defensive side of the football, Adams managed to record 43 total tackles, three interceptions, two tackles of loss, and two fumble recoveries. He also hauled in 34 receptions for 562 yards and six touchdowns as a wide receiver for the team.