Notre Dame’s push to steal Texas commit Greedy James came up short on Thursday, with the defensive back instead flipping from the Longhorns to LSU.
That’s a tough break for Marcus Freeman and his staff, who had spent time trying to pry James away from Texas. But the Irish weren’t the only program in the mix for long.
James, who now lives in Manvel, Texas, has strong Louisiana roots, including being born in New Orleans and having family still in the city. Rivals said LSU delivered a “compelling pitch” to James and his family during his official visit this summer.
“It has been a really tight race, and it was a hard decision. I couldn't go wrong with any of those schools,” James reportedly told Rivals.
“What mattered to be most was being where I wanted to be the most. At LSU, I loved the culture on and off the field.
They have a great coaching staff and they feel like father figures, especially Coach Raymond. He's one of the best in the game.”
James is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 24 safety in the 2027 class, the No. 43 player in Texas and the No. 282 player in the nation. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound safety had been committed to Texas since December, but Notre Dame had been working to change that for weeks before LSU won out.
For Notre Dame, the miss stings, but it doesn’t leave the 2027 defensive back class in bad shape. The Irish already have two safeties pledged in 3-star John Gay and 4-star Zayden Gamble, along with two cornerbacks in 4-star Xavier Hasan and Ace Alston.
So while James would have been a nice addition, Notre Dame can absorb the loss and keep moving. The staff is expected to treat him as off the board, turn to the remaining targets in the class and put more energy into the 2028 cycle.
In other words, this is a setback, not a disaster - the kind of disappointment that comes with building one of the better 2027 classes already.
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