When discussing Notre Dame football's 2027 recruiting efforts, the vibe has almost always been positive. However, when it comes to Xavier Hasan, Marcus Freeman, and the Irish might be losing their grip.
Hasan committed to the Fighting Irish in December, but the Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, NC) prospect has been pushed by several Power 4 schools since that pledge. One school that is now standing out and could be poised to get a flip from the defensive back is the Miami Hurricanes.
According to Rivals analyst EJ Holland, the 'Canes have made some serious inroads. In speaking to Holland, Hasan sang Miami's praises, especially the way its defense plays.
Notre Dame football Xavier Hasan flip watch intensifies as Miami makes inroads
"I study Keionte Scott a lot," Scott reportedly told Holland. "That’s the type of defense I’m looking for."
Hasan is the No. 3 player in North Carolina, the No. 6 cornerback in the class, and the No. 38 player in the country according to the 247Sports composite ratings. Rivals has him rated almost as well, with the only real difference being that he's the No. 54 player in the class according to that site's Industry Rankings.
There's no need for Notre Dame to panic just yet. For now, Xavier Hasan is still committed to the Irish. If he's really impressed by the way defensive backs a few classes ahead of him take to the field, then the Golden Domers should be able to get him to understand how South Bend is the place for him.
Last month, Hasan specifically spoke about the pressure campaign of other schools and said he was still very solid to Notre Dame.
"We were just talking about how they were going to find a new coach," Hasan told Irish Sports Daily in February. "At the time, they hadn’t hired a DB coach yet."
"Now they did, and I really like him. I was on the phone with him for about 10 or 15 minutes (last week). We were talking, and he’s developed a lot of great DBs, so I’m really excited about it."
While Notre Dame should be able to hold onto Xavier Hasan, it's clear Miami has made some progress. Marcus Freeman has to be on flip watch from here on out.