SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The first time Khari Gee ever visited the Notre Dame campus was in June of 2021, when the four-star safety from Atlanta was moving into the dorms to start his college academic and football paths at ND.
Six months later, he was a memory, hopping into the transfer portal without ever having played a snap for the Irish and eventually landing at Georgia Tech. There, he never really gained traction, hitting the portal again last spring and finding no takers, including the Yellow Jackets when he tried to make a U-turn.
On Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, Gee will be one of at least 17 members of that 2021 Irish recruiting class who won't be participating in the Senior Day festivities ahead of the ensuing matchup between the eighth-ranked Irish (8-1) and Virginia (5-4). TV start time on NBC/Peacock is 3:30 p.m. EST.
Of the nine who are expected to, just three of them are likely to be in the starting lineup against the Cavaliers — tight end Mitchell Evans and offensive linemen Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler.
A 10th member, defensive tackle Jason Onye, remains in limbo, out indefinitely since playing in a reserve role in ND’s 31-24 win over Louisville on Sept. 28.
What do all 27 of those players have in common — the ND survivors, the NFL rookies, the transfers, the medical hardships and those who pushed football away in part because it didn’t love them back?
They were all recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the NCAA essentially turned recruiting in that cycle into an all-Zoom meeting endeavor.
Of the current Irish coaching staff, only defensive backs coach Mike Mickens was in South Bend. Head coach Marcus Freeman was still the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati at the time and wasn’t hired by then-head coach Brian Kelly to come aboard as ND’s defensive coordinator until a few weeks after that group had signed National Letters of Intent.
But he remembers the process well that was universal around college football.
“It was really unique, right?” Freeman said during his weekly Zoom call [ironic, huh?] with the media. “That you couldn't have any face-to-face conversations with those guys. Everything was over Zoom.
“They couldn't come on campus, so a lot of those guys had to commit sight unseen. Or maybe they could come here on campus and do a self-guided tour. I know that was going on a lot during the 2020 season. But that class, probably a little bit the next class [too], it was really a unique experience.”
So no in-person evaluation, no camps, no campus vibes. Some of them, like quarterback Tyler Buchner — now a wide receive —, didn’t have high school senior seasons. And some of those who did, had truncated or deferred ones.
Cornerback Chance Tucker got recruited by a video of drills he sent to Mickens. Other players got misevaluated, and not always in an overestimated way. LA Chargers rookie, unanimous All-American and first-round draft choice Joe Alt was a three-star prospect and an afterthought, at least from a national recruiting perspective.
Of the 10, including Onye, still enrolled at ND, all but Evans have eligibility remaining to take a fifth-year option at Notre Dame or elsewhere. So there could still be more transfers.
Those who can come back are wide receivers Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas, defensive tackle Gabe Rubio, Buchner, Coogan, Spindler, Tucker, and linebacker Kahanu Kia, like Tucker out for the season with an ACL tear. Unlike Tucker, Kia has multiple years remaining because he took a two-year Mormon Mission in 2022 and 2023 that paused his NCAA eligibility clock.
“Sometimes you feel bad, because they didn't get the real, the entire college recruiting experience, where they could take official visits, they can meet people in person, and make the right decision,” Freeman said. “But it was just the time. And it was unique, and something that has never happened before, and I don't know if it'll ever happen again.”
CLASS OF 2021 | Where are they now?
On the Notre Dame roster: C Pat Coogan, OG Rocco Spindler, TE Mitchell Evans, DT Gabe Rubio, WR Jayden Thomas, WR Deion Colzie, CB Chance Tucker (out for the season with an injury), LB Kahanu Kia (out for the season with an injury), WR Tyler Buchner (transferred to Alabama for 2023 season and transferred back), DT Jason Onye (out for the last four games for personal reasons and expected to miss a fifth on Saturday)
In the NFL: OT Joe Alt, RB Audric Estimé, OT Blake Fisher
Medical Hardships: QB Ron Powlus III, DE/LB Will Schweitzer
Transferred Out: DE Devin Aupui, CB Ryan Barnes, TE Cane Berrong, RB Logan Diggs, S Khari Gee, OT Caleb Johsnson, CB JoJo Johnson, LB Prince Kollie, CB Lorenzo Styles
Left Football To Focus on Academics: K Josh Bryan, CB Philip Riley, S Justin Walters
An unbreakable record for longevity?
Given that part of what’s allowed sixth-year senior linebacker Jack Kiser the path to break the Notre Dame football program’s record for games played on Saturday is the COVID-exemption year he exercised the the willingness to stay in one place for six years.
But he’s been so much more than a player who will pass Houston Griffith in logging a record 63rd career game Saturday against Virginia.
He’s been a consistent performer over the years — ND’s leading tackler this year (59) through nine games — and having a massive impact on the community around him.
This year alone he’s a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy and a finalist for both the William V. Campbell Trophy and Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award, all among the highest honors for community service associated with college football.
He is also a member of the American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.
“Obviously, Jack is special to me, just because he's the only player in this program I actually had a chance to coach as his position coach,” Freeman said. “And to see his growth as a football player and a leader over these four years we've been together has been tremendous. He is truly a Notre Dame man.
“He's obviously a guy that grew up here in Indiana [Royal Center], but just really reached his full potential. And he's been an unbelievable leader. He's made this place better, and he's going to leave this place better than he found it.”
Next season will be the last players can use the extra year, afforded by the NCAA during the 2020 pandemic-affected season, without a special petition for a seventh season (something former Irish QB Drew Pyne plans to use at Missouri, for instance).
There will be just four players with the COVID option on the ND roster for 2025, and the only slam dunk to take it — at least at ND — is injured vyper end Jordan Botelho. The other three are backup offensive tackle Tosh Baker, backup tight end Kevin Bauman, and All-America safety Xavier Watts, who’s on track to repeat.
Youth movement at cornerback
Since junior Benjamin Morrison went down with a season-ending hip injury in the 49-7 win over Stanford on Oct. 12, the Irish have tried to build some depth behind sophomore Christian Gray and Morrison’s replacement — freshman Leonard Moore.
With more youth.
Freshman Karson Hobbs moved to the front burner after Morrison’s injuries and has seen action on each of those four games, albeit mostly late in games. Fellow freshman Tae Johnson, recruited to play safety, made his college debut Saturday — and at cornerback — in the 52-3 rout of Florida State.
Hobbs played a career-high 16 reps in the game and Johnson 13, the latter being credited with his first two collegiate tackles. He missed the first eight games of this season with a foot injury.
“Both of them did some really good things in the Florida State game,” Freeman said. “And I think each of them are at a different point in their journey, where Karson has been really having some intentional, valuable reps over the last couple of weeks, with some injuries and things like that. So, he's improving from that point.
“Whereas Tae Tae, he's coming back from injury, so he missed a lot of time, but he could be fresher in the legs. He’s still got to continue mentally to get caught up to the time that he's missed, but both of them are going to be really good players for us. They have different, but unique skill sets that are going to help this football program. They're a joy to be around, like they’re energy-providers, and they're getting better.”
As for Morrison, Freeman said Morrison is no longer wearing a brace and has been attending practice and coaching up his teammates in the secondary.
“We had our captains’ meeting on Monday,” Freeman said. “And his mind's in a great spot in terms of where he is physically and mentally. I don't know if he's on track or ahead of schedule, but he's really, really doing a good job in terms of trying to work his way back to recovery and where he can run and start doing some football things.”
Filling in for Cross
With starter and sixth-year veteran nose guard Howard Cross III out for the Virginia game with an ankle sprain, two young interior linemen have pushed their way into potential rotational roles on Saturday, sophomore Armel Mukam and freshman Sean Sevillano Jr.
The bulk of the interior line reps, aside from those going to starting defensive tackle Ryle Mills, are expected to go to junior Donvan Hinish and senior Gabe Rubio.
“All five of those guys, including Rylie, have had a great week of practice in terms of the preparation for this game,” Freeman said, “and there's a chance you can see all five of them.”
Upon further review
During the Florida State game Saturday, the nation’s leading punter, Seminoles punter Alex Mastromanno punted seven times, and it appeared Notre Dame players got a hand on two of those, though they did travel past the line of scrimmage on both occasions.
In the moment and immediately after the game, the Irish were not credited with blocks. But upon further review, the NCAA updated the stats and gave the Irish two blocks. That vaulted Notre Dame to a tie for the No. 1 spot nationally in combined blocked punts and kicks. The Irish have five, as do national co-leaders Georgia Tech, Louisville, UNLV and, ironically, Florida State.
“Anytime you get a block — whether it goes across or behind or anything — they count it as a block,” Irish special teams coordinator Marty Biagi explained of the state change. “From what I’ve been taught is if you see the ref do the finger tip, that means it counts.
“So, yeah, we want those to stay behind the line of scrimmage, but it was just good for our guys that have been so close so many times to be able to show up. Adon [Shuler] and [Preston] Zinter did a great job, the guys rushing. There’s so many pieces to that. It’s not just those guys. It was a great day for our punt block team.”
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