Khary Adams — the nation’s No. 1 CB — signs with Notre Dame football

For as good as Notre Dame’s defensive back recruiting has been in recent years under position coach Mike Mickens, there’s something the Irish haven’t done under him: sign a five-star cornerback.

Not only has Notre Dame now done that, they officially added the No. 1 player at the position, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield’s Khary Adams ranks as a top-50 overall player according to Rivals, ESPN and 247 Sports, and the Rivals Industry Ranking — an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services — lists Adams as a five-star recruit, No. 26 prospect overall and No. 1 cornerback.

Penn State, Michigan, Maryland, Oregon and South Carolina were under close consideration before Adams committed to Notre Dame over the summer. Michigan and others attempted to get Adams to waver in his pledge, but he didn’t budge.

Adams’ first official visit was to Penn State in May, followed up by a trip to South Carolina a couple of weeks later. He tripped to Michigan June 6 and then Notre Dame the following weekend. Interestingly enough, he went to Maryland June 18 — a couple of days before his decision date — for a local official visit, but the Terps were never considered a serious threat to land his commitment.

“After the Penn State OV, I was thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m going to Penn State.’ After comparing Penn State and Notre Dame, I just felt more comfortable and at home with Notre Dame,” Adams noted.

He was originally planning to visit Oregon at the end of June, but he cancelled the trip.

“I just felt it — I didn’t see a need to go to Oregon,” Adams said. “A lot of people were saying Oregon was my No. 1 school throughout the process, but it was really between Penn State and Notre Dame. Oregon was that third school.”

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Mike Mickens, Jevaughn Codlin and the recruiting office were all key factors in the elite prospect picking Notre Dame.

“That’s Coach Freeman — he’s a players’ coach,” Adams said. “He cares about you more than just on the football field. You can look at what he’s done the past few years — he’s done more than most coaches already. His trajectory is really good.

“With Coach Mickens — you can see the guys he’s developed who have the same body build as me.”

During his nine-game senior season, Adams recorded 34 tackles (2 for loss) and 2 interceptions, while adding 13 receptions, 208 yards and two 2 touchdowns at receiver.

In 11 games as a junior, he posted 43 tackles, 2 stops for loss and 3 interceptions while adding 34 catches for 562 yards (16.5 yards per catch) and 6 touchdowns for the Dons.

In the offseason, Adams competes in track and field. His PR in the outdoor 100-meter dash is 10.7 seconds, showcasing his elite speed. He also has a 6.45 PR in the 55-meter and a 6.95 PR in the 60-meter indoor. Adams also has plenty of experience competing in the 200-meter (21.5 seconds PR), 300-meter (35.14 seconds PR) and 400-meter (50.18 seconds) yard dashes.

Adams will enroll at Notre Dame in January.