Coach | 2027 CB Commit Xavier Hasan A Great Fit For Notre Dame

Cardinal Gibbons High School head coach Steven Wright was fired up to see 2027 North Carolina cornerback Xavier Hasan‍ commit to Notre Dame on Monday. 

“We're excited for Zay,” Wright said. “I think it's going to be a great fit for him. The combination of the level of football, the academic piece, culturally, I just think it's a great fit for him, so I'm excited for him.”

And Wright is convinced the Irish are getting a stellar prospect in Hasan.

“I think it's a combination of his size, speed, and athleticism,” Wright said of what makes Hasan an elite prospect. “For high school, he's a big corner. I think the guys today said he was 5-11. He's closer to 6-1 and a legit 190. I think the combination of his size and then ultimately that athleticism, he's got a versatility to him that I think makes him a guy you can put out on the edge. 

“He's a guy you could put in on a slot as a nickel corner. And I think he's also a guy, even though he hasn't played this yet, I think he'd be very comfortable playing free safety because he does have really good ball skills. It'd be interesting to see where he ends up, but I think he's got the athleticism to play really at any DB position on the field and to be really effective at it.”

Like everybody, Wright expects there to be an adjustment period for Hasan at the next level, but believes the corner is well-equipped to make that adjustment.

“I think for every kid that's moving on from high school to the next level, there is a bit of a shock when you first arrive,” the coach said. “You go from being the big fish in a small pond to just being another fish. Everybody in that meeting room on Day One was the best player on their high school football team, and now you're in a room full of them. So it's going to be interesting to see one, how quickly he works his way through that. And then two, how he responds ultimately to the competition that's around him.

“I think he'll do a really good job at that. I think that's one of those things I don't know that you can fully predict for any prospect. I'm sure you're well aware there's been plenty of three-star, four-star, and even a handful of five-stars that have not panned out for a variety of reasons. But I think he's going to step in and experience that shock, just like for every kid. But I think he'll settle in well and then kind of find his spot. I think it'll be interesting to see where he ends up settling. Like I said, I think he's got the versatility to play in a number of positions in the defensive backfield, but ultimately, I think he does have a really unique skillset. I'm looking forward to seeing how that continues to develop as he makes that jump to Notre Dame.”

Wright is also excited to see Hasan mature into a young man. 

“And what that looks like alongside of the God-given skill that he's been entrusted with,” Wright continued. “I think as he continues just to mature as a person, I think he'll do a good job of settling it. He'll be a really good teammate. He gets along with all the guys in our locker room. 

“It'll be fun to see how he potentially steps into a leadership role as he arrives at Notre Dame. I think he wants to be coached, he wants to learn, he wants to be really good at what he does, and he's got a goal in mind of playing in the NFL. I think if he's willing to put into the work that's required to do that, I think he can realize that dream.”

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