Notre Dame earned a big victory on the recruiting trail, landing a verbal commitment from class of 2026 four-star cornerback Khary Adams on Friday.
Adams, who currently attends Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Maryland, is a member of the Rivals250, checking in at No. 246 nationally. He also ranks as the No. 5 prospect in the state of Maryland and the No. 19 cornerback in the 2026 cycle.
He is coming off of his official visit to South Bend during the weekend of June 13 through June 15 and the Fighting Irish did enough to convince Adams to join Notre Dame.
Penn State was previously considered the front-runner for Adams, following his official visit to Happy Valley from May 16 through May 18, but ultimately Notre Dame checked off all the boxes for what Adams was looking for in a program.
“Scheme, the environment and the plan they have for me,” Adams previously told Rivals when asked what is important to him in his recruitment. “And also NIL (is a factor).”
He will play his college football under head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Chris Ash, defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens and the rest of the Notre Dame staff.
Adams took recent official visits to South Carolina, Michigan and Maryland as well. He was also previously scheduled to take a trip to Oregon this coming weekend.
In addition to the schools mentioned above, Adams received scholarship offers from Arizona, Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami (FL.), Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Adams is a play-making defensive back with great speed thanks to his track and field background. He is strong in pass coverage in both man-to-man and zone concepts and possesses impressive ball skills. Adams also plays wide receiver for the Dons and is electric with the ball in his hands.
As a junior in 2024, Adams earned first-team MIAA “A” All-Conference honors as a defensive back. He recorded 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, four interceptions, 12 pass break-ups and two fumble recoveries. Offensively, Adams amassed 31 receptions for 703 yards (22.7 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns.
With Adams’ commitment, Notre Dame’s 2026 class now includes 18 total pledges. The Fighting Irish currently rank second in the national recruiting team rankings.
