Coach | Versatility Makes 2021 Safety Khari Gee Attractive

Size, athleticism and versatility have some of the top programs in the county battling for 2021 Georgia safety Khari Gee‍.

“One of the biggest parts of his game that makes him so attractive to a lot of the colleges is his size,” says Ryan Davis, who coaches defensive backs and special teams at Woodward Academy. “He’s 6-3, about 193 right now. He’s long, he’s rangy. In the secondary, everybody likes that.

“A lot of schools think he’s very similar to the kid who played at Clemson, Isaiah Simmons. He’s long, rangy and athletic, so he can do a lot of things.”

Notre Dame safeties coach Terry Joseph extended an offer to Gee earlier in the week and compared him to the most athletic member of the Irish’s secondary, freshman safety Kyle Hamilton.

Gee plays weakside safety for Woodward Academy, which allows him to move all over the field.

“At times, he’s in the box almost like a linebacker and sometimes he’s at the line of scrimmage taking on a tackle or pulling guard or something like that,” says Davis. “He also covers slots, so he’s versatile for us and I think that’s making him more attractive to schools.

“He could be a safety. He could be an outside linebacker. It all depends on how his body develops. Right now, everybody is recruiting him to play safety. I was told by one coach that he was the biggest safety in the state of Georgia.”

Gee announced a Top 10 last month that included Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Penn State, Oregon, Michigan, Auburn, USC and Oklahoma. But both Gee and Davis acknowledged that was not a final list of schools.

“I think he might have dropped that Top 10 a little prematurely, but he had good reasons to do it,” says Davis. “He basically said, “Coach, there are a lot of schools that are contacting me that I’m not really interested in.’ That’s where the Top 10 came in, just to narrow the list for him.

“He always had high interest in Notre Dame even going back to last year when he was getting interest and game invites. They’ll be in the Top 10. He’s an academic kid. Academics are important to him and those are the type of universities he’s looking for.”

Gee told Irish Sports Daily that he plans to visit South Bend and Davis believes the same.

“I know he will try to get up there, probably in the spring as they start spring practice,” he says. “He’s been out West. He’s going to Oregon, he’s going to LSU. He’s been to Southern Cal and UCLA and schools like that.

“He’s doing it the right way. I try to advise the kids to make sure they see all of the places and get all of the nuts and bolts before they make their decision and he’s doing that. He’s just trying to get that feel for what’s the best fit for him and his family.

“Now that Notre Dame is in the mix, he’s going to go see them.”