Ahead of an important recruiting weekend for the Notre Dame football team, one player isn't in town but is an equally massive get if the Fighting Irish can close the deal. Kaden Henderson just cut the Miami Hurricanes out of the running and now considers Marcus Freeman and Co. one of the final three teams he's considering.
​Mario Cristobal's squad missing the cut marks a rather massive development in the recruitment of the 5-star linebacker. Most recruiting analysts predicted the Tampa Jesuit (Tampa, FL) linebacker would eventually stick close to home. How and why Miami missed the cut remains the stuff of whispers and rumors.
How and why Miami is no longer in the running is far less important than how Notre Dame closes the deal for one of the best prospects in the entirety of the 2027 class. According to the 247Sports Composite, the defender is No. 22 nationally, No. 1 at linebacker, and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida. The biggest and best way to close things down is on Henderson’s official visit to South Bend.
The 6-foot-2, 218-pounder has already taken his official visits to the Texas A&M Aggies and LSU Tigers, with his trip to Notre Dame scheduled for next weekend. The two SEC schools are the other programs still in the running, but at the moment, it feels like Henderson can be closed out and added to Freeman’s very, very good 2027 class.
Kaden Henderson cutting Miami gives Notre Dame football a major recruiting opening
Henderson is expected to announce his commitment at the beginning of July. The biggest obstacle to his naming the Golden Domers as his school of choice might be where 5-star cornerback Joshua Dobson decides to go. Dobson is considered a heavy lean to the squad from College Station. After his visit to the SEC school, Henderson reportedly told On3’s Steve Wiltfong that he and Dobson have become good friends during their recruiting journey, and while he will take an OV to Notre Dame this weekend, the vibes in College Station are high on getting both.
It’s been a bit of an up-and-down recruiting cycle for the Irish in the last week or so. Freeman and his staff have seen a couple of prospects do the same thing that Henderson did to Miami. That makes the next couple of weeks before the dead period that much more important for Notre Dame.
The good news is that there is a real chance the Irish can get several different commitments from Saturday’s visits. There are also guys like Abraham Sesay out there who are considered a lock by some insiders.
Henderson will be a massive win for whoever lands the linebacker. Overall, he has more than 47 total offers, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Bethune-Cookman, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Liberty, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, and many others.
That Notre Dame has managed to make the final three out of the massive group of schools that were chasing him is impressive. Now the Irish just need to close the deal and add one of the best players in the entire class to one of the best commitment lists in the entire 2027 cycle.
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