Notre Dame Loses Four-Star Khalil Terry—But Is It a Hidden Win?

Notre Dame dropped in the recruiting rankings following a lost commitment on Monday, but will it be a better long-term play for the Irish?

Head coach Marcus Freeman greets his players during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Friday, March 20, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame football has had a second decommitment in its 2027 class, something it had none of in the 2026 cycle.

This time its defensive back Khalil Terry, a four-star safety from Tustin, California.

Terry was originally a Michigan State commitment before flipping to Notre Dame in November of 2025.

Writing Was on the Wall for Terry Departure

Where there is smoke, there is fire, and that was certainly the case regarding Notre Dame and Khalil Terry of late. Despite Terry making the trip to South Bend for Junior Day earlier this Spring, Terry gave the ultimate sign that he wasn't long for Notre Dame's recruiting class, as he made a visit to UCLA.

Marcus Freeman makes it clear at Notre Dame that if you're a committed recruit, you don't make visits elsewhere. Terry doing just that spoke louder than any social media post ever could about how this would end up.

As for Terry, UCLA is in the running as are other west coast schools, as it appears he'll be staying closer to his California home.

What Now for Notre Dame Safety Recruiting?

While it stings to lose a long-time commitment from the class, this could end up being a blessing in disguise for Notre Dame recruiting.

Notre Dame has been in hot pursuit of other defensive backs of late, and defensive backs coach Aaron Henry may have tipped his hand as to what the Fighting Irish are about to land.

Henry took to social media on Monday and dropped subtle hints about landing a potential commitment.

Just Caught My First Fish On The Property!!!!!

Bigger Ones Coming Soon!!! #MotionParty @CoachShivers @_CoachCod @coachseider pic.twitter.com/kbMka1mkLw

— Aaron Henry (@AaronHenry7) April 21, 2026

Alright, so he caught a fish in his backyard pond. No big deal, right?

All you have to do is look at his posts just before and just after, and you see an assistant coach that seems to be enamoured with the state of Florida.

Henry reposted a tweet from top Florida safety Zayden Gamble, who just so happens to be a major Notre Dame recruiting target.

☘️☘️☘️ #GoIrish #FloridaDame pic.twitter.com/8bqrSzLw2l

— 4⭐️ Zayden Gamble (@ZaydenGamble1) April 21, 2026

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

Losing a commitment is never a fun thing, but Notre Dame appears to have its defensive back recruiting in a great place.

Gamble is a major target of Notre Dame's and my guess would be that Henry has either hinted at a commitment behind the scenes, or given one to the Fighting Irish coaching staff.

Not that recruiting rankings are an exact science, but going from Terry to Gamble would be a significant increase in terms of rankings, as Gamble checks in 14th at the position and Terry 25th in the 247Sports composite.

Nothing is ever a guarantee in college football recruiting, but I can pretty much guarantee you that Notre Dame will be just fine at defensive back in 2027 despite the decommitment.