5-star Notre Dame target sets his commitment date for March 14 but there's a catch

Commitment season for 2027 college football recruits is just around the corner, and some are even making their commitments as early as now. For 5-star athlete Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, he is planning on making his choice on March 14, and Notre Dame will be anxiously awaiting his decision, but Marcus Freeman may not want to hold his breath.

There are six programs running for Fa'alave-Johnson: Notre Dame, LSU, Miami, Texas, Oregon, and USC. This might be the first time in a while that USC actually takes a win over Notre Dame, as the Trojans are favored to land the commitment for the five-star athlete.

Oregon, at one point, was also favored, but in recent days, it seems USC has taken the strong lead over the Ducks. Fa'alave-Johnson is a talented recruit that many programs were after as the No. 16 player in the class of 2027, the No. 1 athlete in the class, and the No. 1 player in the state of California, according to 247Sports. If USC truly wins his commitment, he will be able to stay close to home.

5-star Honor Fa'alave-Johnson will most likely snub Notre Dame for USC with commitment

Just because Fa'alave-Johnson is most likely picking the Trojans with his commitment date doesn't mean he isn't a flip candidate for all these other schools. Even though he canceled his other scheduled visits, nothing is ever complete until a paper is signed with his commitment.

Notre Dame had a chance for Fa'alave-Johnson, but not being on the West Coast seemed to hurt the Irish, as the five-star recruit seemed pretty set on staying close to home. Notre Dame will now have to turn its attention to other prospects in the class as Freeman works to round out the Class of 2027.