New Notre Dame commit Khalil Terry breaks down his decision

Tustin (Calif.) junior defensive back Khalil Terry just announced his commitment to Notre Dame and broke down why he chose the Irish. 

In a move that even surprised him a little, Terry committed to Notre Dame during his weekend unofficial visit and went public with his choice minutes ago. 

“I really wasn’t expecting to commit there prior to the visit,” Terry said. “In fact, I almost didn’t make the trip. We had to cancel our Friday night flight and our early morning flight Saturday was delayed and we barely made our connecting flight or I wouldn’t have made it out there. 

“So I really wasn’t thinking about committing. I did have a strong connection with coach Mickens as well as Jourdan Blake and once I spent time with the rest of the staff and saw how I fit in there, I knew it was the place for me.”

Overall scheme fit in the defense played a huge role for Terry. 

“I really like how they use their safeties,” Terry said. “Coach Mickens spent a lot of time talking to me about how they want to use me and I love the fit. They see me playing a similar role as Adon Shuler who they move around and do a lot of different things with and I really like the fit a lot.

“Watching the game, I was able to see where I fit and it all aligned with what coach Mickens and I talked about. The game day atmosphere was big as well and then after my meeting with coach Freeman, it really had me thinking that Notre Dame was the move.”

Terry is a high end academic guy and that played a big role for him as well. 

“With Notre Dame, it’s the degree and the opportunities outside of football that are big too,” Terry said. “The coaching staff spent a lot of time going over things that will help me after I’m done playing. The Note Dame network is big  for sure.”

Terry took a ton of unofficial visits all over the country and said his recruitment is now shut down.

“I really don’t need to take any official trips since I did so many unofficial visits,” Terry said. “I wanted to be done with my decision by the end of December so the timing played out really well.

“I wanted to go in 2026 focused on just getting better and finishing up strong in school. It feels great to have the decision behind me and I really just want to play football and now I can focus on that.”

Terry is one of the top safety prospects, not just out West but nationally as well. He will be a four-year starter at Tustin and is currently rated a four-star and the No. 157 player nationally in the Rivals Industry Ranking. 

There isn’t a more versatile safety out West than Terry. He’s a true hybrid who can also play some corner and even nickel if needed. 

He’s one of those players that just does everything well and his football IQ and instincts are extremely high. Terry can hit, play in space, shows plenty of range and brings a high compete level to the field as well. 

He should add value on special teams as well and it won’t surprise us if he’s able to see the field sooner than later.

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