Notre Dame four-star safety target Khalil Terry sets commitment date

Tustin (Calif.) High 2027 class four-star safety Khalil Terry’s recruitment will come to a close four days after unofficially visiting Notre Dame for the second time.

Terry, the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking’s No. 16 player in California and No. 16 safety nationally, will announce his commitment Wednesday. 247Sports college football recruiting analyst Blair Angulo reported the news Monday. Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer confirmed Terry’s commitment date.

Wednesday will mark the second time Terry has announced where he plans to play his college football since his recruitment began as a freshman. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder initially pledged to Michigan State on Dec. 1 of his sophomore year. However, he ended up backing off from it June 15.

Terry’s early decision did not keep schools from recruiting him. Twenty-two Power Four programs came calling with scholarship offers despite his declaration to Sparty, including Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU and Oregon. His offer from the Irish came during the program’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event.

Less than a month later, Terry unofficially visited Notre Dame for the Blue-Gold Game on April 12. On Saturday, he returned to South Bend as an uncommitted recruit. The Irish made a lasting impression.

“The energy in and around the stadium was electric,” Terry told Rivals vice president of recruiting Steve Wiltfong. “It’s kind of matched everything I heard about Notre Dame.

“The biggest thing is that they have a plan for me. They understand my skillset and are able to explain how and where I fit. The academics are kind of a given, it’s Notre Dame. More than anything, my coaches and parents are comfortable with the way Notre Dame is recruiting me. The other really good thing, which is kind of the main thing as well, is that they’ll always be in the hunt for a National Title.”

Before Terry’s Notre Dame return visit, he appeared to be trending toward USC. Terry attended at least two Trojan games this season, prompting WeAreSC recruiting reporter Scott Schrader to put a pick into the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for him to land with Lincoln Riley’s program.

But USC’s momentum for the No. 3 safety in California was short-lived. After Terry’s time in South Bend, Wiltfong and Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins filed expert predictions into the RPM in Notre Dame’s favor.

On Monday, Terry hinted that he was narrowing his recruitment. He announced a top eight that featured Notre Dame, Arizona State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA and USC. But two days out from his decision, the Irish are the team trending.

Notre Dame currently holds five verbal commits in the 2027 cycle and its class ranks No. 11 nationally.