Notre Dame makes the cut for one of the nation’s elite corners

Notre Dame is working hard at putting together a 2027 recruiting class that complements one of the best classes in the country for the 2026 cycle. One sign that it's working is that the Irish just made the Top 7 for Jaden Carey, one of the best cornerbacks in the country.

On Monday morning, Carey told Rivals that he had officially pared down the schools he's still considering. The Irish are now officially doing battle with Ohio State, Auburn, Oregon, Florida, Miami, and Ole Miss.

The good news is that Notre Dame is among the last schools competing for the 4-star prospect. The bad news is that Marcus Freeman and his crew are facing off against some of the best teams in the country.

Why Jaden Carey is a priority target for Notre Dame

Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Miami all made the College Football Playoff in 2025. Notre Dame and Florida are among the contenders to make it next fall, after the Irish were snubbed in a way that shook South Bend and shocked even the coaches and players.

Carey had a productive sophomore season with Florida's St. Thomas Aquinas, helping them go 12-3 and winning the state championship. He finished the season with 17 tackles, three interceptions, and six pass breakups in 12 games, per MaxPreps.

It's clear that some of the reasons his stats weren't more impressive are that he's good enough that opposing teams tend to stay away from throwing at him.

Rivals has the 6-foot, 165-pound corner ranked as the No. 28 corner in the 2027 class and the No. 31 player in the state of Florida.

Being from Fort Lauderdale, he's taken plenty of unofficial visits to Miami and Florida. However, he also took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame in mid-September, and now the Irish are setting up to be one of his official visits. The battle for Jaden Carey is far from over, but Marcus Freeman and his crew have to be happy about where they stand now, in his Top 7 teams.