Notre Dame football and Aaron Henry have a chance to make a massive recruiting statement this offseason with pending visit

Notre Dame football has a chance to make a huge splash with a priority defensive recruiting target.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after the defense scored a safety in the second half of a NCAA football game against NC State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend.

Notre Dame football was given a tough task this offseason when the program had to replace elite secondary coach Mike Mickens, who left to take a position with the Baltimore Ravens. Former Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry was a nice replacement on paper for head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff. He has a strong reputation as a developer and coach.

Henry will have an early opportunity to showcase the recruiting impact that he can have, as well. It was announced recently that elite 2027 San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic safety Honor Fa’alave-Johnson is very much high on the Notre Dame program. The Irish are going to receive a visit from Fa’alave-Johnson on April 24. He will also be checking out Miami, Oregon, Texas, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, and LSU this offseason.

It is uncertain just how strong Notre Dame’s chances are with the California star, but that visit news was a good sign. Fa’alave-Johnson also released a top schools list recently, where Notre Dame was listed in the top six schools. They were joined by USC, Miami, LSU, Oregon, and Texas. The Irish staff has positioned themselves well, and now they need to make a strong push over the next couple of months.

Fa’alave-Johnson’s recruiting background 

Fa’alave-Johnson is one of the more diverse athletes in the 2027 recruiting class, with some viewing him as a safety and others preferring him on the offensive side of the football. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the California native currently ranks as a five-star, the No. 16 overall player, the No. 1 safety, and the No. 1 player from the state of California from the 2027 class. He is considered a consensus top-50 recruit by each of the major recruiting platforms. 

As you would expect based on his recruiting rankings, Fa’alave-Johnson is being courted by some of the top programs in all of college football. Some of his top offers currently include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, USC, Miami, Auburn, Florida State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Utah, Washington, BYU, SMU, Oregon State, Washington State, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, UNC, Georgia Tech, UCF, UCLA, Cal, and Purdue, among others.

The 6-1, 190-pound athlete was a dominant player for Cathedral Catholic as a junior in 2025. On the offensive side of the football, Fa’alave-Johnson managed to rush for 1,532 yards and 23 touchdowns on just 150 carries, an average of 11.9 yards per carry. The California native also hauled in 35 receptions for 564 yards and seven more scores, a reception average of 16.1 per catch. His offensive impact was a huge reason why Fa’alave-Johnson was able to be named the KUSIPPR Silver Pigskin Player of the Year this past season.

On the defensive side of the football, Fa’alave-Johnson was also a tremendous performer. He managed to collect 40 total tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble. His 10.48-second speed was on full display, which is a big reason why some teams have valued him on both sides of the football. This is a special athlete.

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