Notre Dame Beats USC for 4-Star CB Khalil Terry: Start of a Big DB Recruiting Run?

Just a few months ago, four-star safety prospect Khalil Terry was committed to Michigan State and had every intention of keeping his word. However, with the Spartans program in flux and Terry continuing to skyrocket as a national prospect, he stepped away from his pledge to East Lansing this past June.

Since then, the Tustin, CA product took his time in talking with coaches of other universities who were interested and him, and was sure to take more visits this time around to be positive when he made his next commitment.

As it turns out, multiple trips to South Bend, including this past Saturday for the night game against Navy, were enough to push the Fighting Irish over the edge.

Terry announced his commitment Wednesday afternoon live on the 247Sports YouTube channel, where he chose Notre Dame over a final group of USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.

BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Khalil Terry has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @rivals⁰⁰The 6’0 185 S from Tustin, CA chose the Fighting Irish over Tennessee and USC⁰⁰“Grateful to keep the journey going in South Bend. Go Irish!”⁰⁰https://t.co/AmnkbunC4m pic.twitter.com/QQxFMv7Zyc
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 12, 2025

The 6'0, 185-pounder held offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and LSU but his decision in the end truly came down to Notre Dame and USC. The Fighting Irish and the Trojans battled it out for Terry to the very end, however the last visit in South Bend on November 8 is what truly set Notre Dame apart for Terry.

Going into the visit, there wasn't much buzz about Terry being a potential commit at all in the near future. The Notre Dame staff knew there was genuine interest from Terry, but they knew they had an uphill battle to pull him away from committing to the in-state Trojans.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, who Terry has ties to, made him a priority over the weekend and did enough to land his commitment, from seemingly unlikely territory.

That right there is the power of having elite recruiters like Freeman and Mickens on your staff. It also never hurts to pull an elite prospect out of USC's backyard and away from former Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden, who left Notre Dame for the same position this past January.

Tustin (Calif.) High four-star safety Khalil Terry is back at Notre Dame ☘️

The No. 157 overall player and No. 13 safety in the 2027 class also attended the Blue-Gold Game in April 🏈https://t.co/i7KOljRrvs pic.twitter.com/oOTe6FLoiu
— Kyle Kelly (@ByKyleKelly) November 8, 2025

Terry is ranked as the nation's No. 246 overall prospect and the No. 27 safety in the 2027 cycle. He joins QB Teddy Jarrard, OL James Halter, DL Richie Flanigan, LB Ellis McGaskin and LS Sean Kraft as the current commits in the 2027 class.

The peaking defensive back is the first DB in this class, but Notre Dame is expected to land more quickly with cornerbacks Ace Alston and Xavier Hasan nearing decisions.