Notre Dame is now “neck and neck” for a priority recruit who once seemed to be trending away from the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame surging for priority 2027 recruit after seemingly be on the outside looking in recently.
In the wonderful world of high school recruiting, things can change in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t too long ago that Notre Dame football appeared like they were going to lose out on 2027 Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco cornerback Jailen Hill.
The confidence was shifting for the USC Trojans to land Hill, and most analysts who have covered the recruitment closely from the USC side seemed to think it was all but over. Fast forward a few weeks, and it appears that head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish may have made up that ground. Confidence is building positively for the folks around South Bend.
“I really like USC and Notre Dame right now,” Hill told Wiltfong. “It’s neck and neck with those two schools. Both have been my top schools at different times. There is no 1A and 1B right now.”
With both teams battling it out, the next several weeks are going to be extremely important for Notre Dame and USC to see who comes out on top. Most Fighting Irish fans have learned not to doubt Freeman and his staff, but getting Hill out of the state of California won’t be easy. Notre Dame will have to make a strong push and close accordingly.
Jailen Hill’s recruiting background
Hill is considered a consensus four-star player by all major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Hill sits as the No. 144 overall player, the No. 15 safety, and the No. 14 player from the state of California in the 2027 recruiting class. Notre Dame wants to continue tapping into the talent coming out of the Trinity League, and Hill is one that they hope could be part of that quest.
On top of his impressive recruiting rankings, the California native also boasts an outstanding offer list. Some of Hill’s top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Oregon, Florida, Texas A&M, USC, Miami, Indiana, Florida State, Nebraska, Auburn, Arizona State, Washington, Michigan State, Arizona, Maryland, Purdue, and UCLA, among others.
The 6-2, 175-pound cover cornerback was tremendous for St. John Bosco as a junior. In 10 games, Hill recorded 11 total tackles, six interceptions, and three pass breakups. Hill played previously for Inglewood High School but made a seamless transition at one of the best high school programs in the country this season. There are some programs that like Hill at cornerback, while others prefer him at safety.
