Recruiting never ceases to be surprising.
Notre Dame has pulled off a shocker during the early signing period, flipping College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy safety Khari Gee from LSU.
"I am committed and have signed to University of Notre Dame," said Gee. "The main reasons I chose Notre Dame are the high academic and athletic standards that they have at the university."
Gee didn’t sign with LSU during the first two days of the early National Signing Day. And, as the 6-3, 190-pound four-star prospect started to back off from the Tigers, Notre Dame took full advantage.
Fighting Irish safeties coach Terry Joseph extended the offer to Gee in the spring, but with the pandemic shutting down visits Gee never made it out to South Bend and Notre Dame became an afterthought in his recruitment.
Notre Dame’s initial offer went out to Gee on March 2, but then a few weeks later he cut his list down to Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Oregon.
But very late in the process, Gee started to look at other options. With how much Notre Dame impressed him this season, he gave the Irish a call. And obviously, Notre Dame listened.
The Irish are getting an uber-talented, versatile defensive back prospect who could also be a fit at rover down the road. When Woodward Academy recruiting coordinator Ryan Davis spoke to Joseph earlier this year, he told the Notre Dame coach that Gee can do it all.
“His question was about Khari’s body type, and I told him that he’s whatever you want him to be,” Davis said. “If you want to stay slim and be a safety, he can do that. If you want to put the pounds on and be a rover or outside linebacker, he can do that.
“He has the frame, and he hasn’t scratched the surface of how big he can be. The sky is the limit for that kid.”
Notre Dame fans have to be fired up about the addition of Gee. The last safety the Irish landed from the Atlanta area has worked out pretty well for Notre Dame. Naturally, Gee has drawn comparisons to that player.
“People compare him to [Irish sophomore safety] Kyle Hamilton because he’s so rangy and so long,” Davis added. “He brings the physical aspect. He’ll come up and hit you.
“He’s not afraid to take on the pulling guard or fullback. That’s the type of kid that he is. He’s never shied away from contact.”
Gee, who is rated as the No. 25 player in Georgia and the No. 28 safety nationally, is Notre Dame’s sixth defensive back recruit in the 2021 class. He has the ability to play very early in his career, potentially aiding the Irish on special teams units next fall.
He reported 35 offers during the course of his recruitment, including Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and USC.
During his senior season, Gee recorded 37 tackles, five tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and two interceptions. During his high school career, Gee posted 118 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, four interceptions, eight passes defended, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Gee is Notre Dame’s 25th signee of the 2021 recruiting class. He gives Notre Dame its 11th four-star recruit in the cycle. He is the seventh recruit that Notre Dame has signed that was previously committed to another school.
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