By the time Xavier Hasan completed his third visit to Notre Dame, it was clear the 2027 North Carolina cornerback had found his future home.
On Monday, Hasan publicly announced his commitment to the Irish, choosing Notre Dame over offers from schools like Ohio State, Georgia, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Florida, Florida State and Tennessee among others.
The Cardinal Gibbons High School star is Notre Dame’s ninth verbal commitment in the Class of 2027. He joins cornerback Ace Alston, who committed last week, and safety Khalil Terry to give the Irish three of their top secondary targets at an early stage of the cycle.
After visiting for Irish Invasion in June, Hasan returned to campus for Notre Dame’s home opener against Texas A&M in September. He was back again last month for the Irish’s home game against Navy and it was obvious Notre Dame was the team on top of not only his list, but his support circle’s as well.
“I can tell the coaches are real genuine, how much they connect with their guys and there's a big tradition there,” Hasan told ISD. “Tradition is huge. I really like that. It feels different every time I come here. It feels more like home.”
Xavier’s mother, Lisa, made it clear to us that she has immense trust in Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, Mike Mickens, Jevaughn Codlin and the entire staff.
“We do feel like they're genuine,” she said. “We really feel connected to the coaching staff. They talk to him a lot. They call, they check in with him, and it just feels good.”
She outlined a few key factors that were pushing them toward Notre Dame.
“Will this be someplace that we trust for him to come here and do well academically? Yes,” she said. “Could he do well with the coaching and the development? Coach Mickens and J Cod and even Coach Freeman, we spent a lot of time with them and again, that's reinforced through all of our visits.
“And just the idea of picking hard and it being someplace that's not going to be easy, but it's definitely something that he can do. They really feel like he is a perfect fit for their school. So it feels good.
“Just knowing that the people around him are going to help guide him and develop him, not just in football, but we trust that this is not a place that he's going to come and get in trouble. He's going to come here, he's going to do his work, he's going to figure things out, and that's important. We want him to come here not just for football, but just to mature and kind of grow up here. You have to kind of grow into being a man here. So when we drop him off, that's our expectation.”
Hasan appreciates there will be an adjustment period both on the field and off, but is putting his trust in the Notre Dame staff.
“The beginning is usually the hardest part because just transitioning from high school to college,” he said.
“But it's great. If the coaches say you're a fit, you're going to be a fit here and you're going to love it.”
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