Film Don't Lie | Khary Adams

By Jamie Uyeyama

June 20, 2025

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Notre Dame got an early commitment at cornerback in the 2026 class from Chaston Smith‍. They had to wait a while for the second one and finally got it from Khary Adams‍, a prospect they have coveted for a very long time.

A two-way star on the football field and a standout sprinter on the track (6.45 55m, 10.74 100m), Adams has an 80-inch wingspan, ran a verified 4.53 40 as a sophomore, and is one of the top rated corners in this cycle.

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 180

Projected Position: Cornerback

ISD Grade: 94 (4-star)

National Average Grade: 92.8 (4-star)

What he does best:

Adams has easy speed. It shows up at receiver and at corner. No one can play the position at a high level if they can’t run and he can really run.

There’s a lot of corners his size who aren’t particularly fluid, but that’s not an issue with Adams.

I love the way he drives on the football. He can put his foot in the ground and explode.

He’s a playmaker with big time ball skills. He had three interceptions as a junior in addition to averaging 16.5 yards per reception on offense.

What he needs to improve:

He’s a natural athlete so he makes a lot of movement look smooth, but there’s a lot of finer points to playing corner that he’s going to get a lot better at. His footwork with his transitions should improve quite a bit and he doesn’t utilize his length fully at this point. Once he adds strength, those long levers are going to be an even bigger asset.

What’s his ceiling?

Adams checks just about all of the boxes when it comes to elite traits. The list of players as long as he is who can run like him is very short. He also has two-way ability that is reminiscent of current Notre Dame freshman Dallas Golden, but Adams is simply a bigger version of that.

His size is a lot closer to former Notre Dame CB Cam Hart, who was also a two-way player in high school and was originally recruited to play receiver. Adams reminds me a bit more of a former Notre Dame target who ended up at Michigan, CB Ambry Thomas. He was a very good player in the Big Ten who also made an impact as a kick returner before becoming a day two pick in the NFL Draft.

Adams has the potential to develop into an elite man coverage corner for the Irish and is another top tier talent that Mike Mickens will get to work with.