There’s no doubt that when it’s all said and done, the Notre Dame football team will have one of the best classes in the 2026 cycle. That doesn’t change the fact that its having some struggles this week.
For the second time this week, the Irish lost out on one of their top prospects. Earlier in the week, it was to the USC Trojans. This time it was Xavier Lherisse choosing the Oregon Ducks over the Blue and Gold, as well as other top teams.
Notre Dame football suffer second recruiting loss of the week
One of the most interesting aspects of this commitment to the Ducks is that Oregon looked like a real long shot to get the commitment. According to On3, they had less than a 1% chance of getting the defensive back out of Eau Gallie in Melbourne, Florida.
BREAKING: Four-Star Safety Xavier Lherisse has Committed to Oregon, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 26, 2025
The 5’10 185 S from Melbourne, FL chose the Ducks over Notre Dame, Alabama, & Auburn
“Once a duck always a duck”https://t.co/IPm6hyHQfi pic.twitter.com/1FCzPfWFlf
The announcement also comes before he took any of the official visits he has planed for June. Including one to South Bend on June 20. He was expected to kick off that tour with a May 30 trip to Auburn, followed by a June 6 visit to Oregon, and a June 20 official to Florida State.
Xavier Lherisse surprises Notre Dame football faithful with commit announcement
According to the 247Sports Composite, Lherisse is the 57th-ranked player in Florida and 353rd in the nation. He's the No. 29 safety in the class.
The 4-star prospect according to Rivals has dozens of offers and his pulling the trigger before he took official visits likely won’t stop schools like Notre Dame football from coming after him and trying to get him to switch schools before signing day.