National Powerhouse Ramps Up Push for No. 1 LB Recruit in Three-Team Race

College football’s national championship runner-up team is rising fast up the 2027 recruiting rankings in a very productive offseason, and now it could be out in front for the most important linebacker prospect coming out of high school next year.

Five-star Tampa (Fla.) linebacker Kaden Henderson is still the No. 1 ranked recruit in the country at his position, and while an elite group of three college football programs are angling for his attention, one ACC powerhouse is working hard to secure the advantage.

Fast-rising Hurricanes want the No. 1 linebacker

National Powerhouse Ramps Up Push for No. 1 LB Recruit in Three-Team Race — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Miami recently hosted Henderson for a visit on campus looking to make inroads with the defensive phenom at a moment when the school has seen its recruiting fortunes dramatically improve recently.

Mario Cristobal’s program just catapulted into the No. 3 position nationally after flipping No. 4 edge rusher Jaiden Bryant from LSU, but more pertinently also boasts pledges from a pair of top-20 linebackers in No. 6 AJ Randle, Jr. and No. 19 Noah Glover.

Having those two commitments in their back pocket have allowed the Hurricanes to take an aggressive line on recruiting Henderson in the hopes of building what would be an extremely promising center field defense in the years to come.

Canes’ DC leads the charge

Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman is said to play a dominant role in the program’s effort to recruit Henderson to its top-three recruiting class, accentuating how the prospect would feature in the team’s future defensive scheme.

“Hetherman did a great job of not only continuing to build that bond, but also showing Henderson why he’s a priority, why he would be a great fit in this defense, why he can make an early impact,” Rivals recruiting insider EJ Holland said.

One projection currently links Henderson to the Hurricanes, with a single 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction currently favoring Miami at this stage.

Henderson hits the road to an SEC contender soon

While the Hurricanes are considered a possible favorite to ultimately land Henderson’s commitment, one SEC insurgent is still looking to make an impression.

Texas A&M currently sits at No. 1 in the national team recruiting rankings on the back of a very strong defensive rotation, and is still in good position with Henderson, who is set to be in College Station and visit with the program in person this weekend.

Some recruiting insiders are still very high on the Aggies, who have a commanding 74 percent chance to get Henderson’s commitment entering June, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine metric.

Irish want to make a move

Although described as something of a dark horse in Henderson’s recruitment, Notre Dame remains one of the top three schools that are considered credible options for the nation’s top linebacker at this stage in his process.

In making a run at Henderson, the Fighting Irish look to build on their own recent run of success on the recruiting front, boasting commitments from a string of top 15 nationally ranked defensive prospects at cornerback, safety, edge, and on the line to their No. 6 class.

Marcus Freeman and the Irish have met with the linebacker on two reported occasions, with an expected official visit set in South Bend for mid-June.

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