Three Notre Dame football signees added national honors to their résumés before officially joining the program next month.
On Wednesday, Rivals high school football reporter Andy Villamarzo named cornerback Khary Adams, defensive lineman Elijah Golden and safety Joey O’Brien to the Rivals high school football national All-America team. Adams and Golden earned first-team honors, while O’Brien was a second-team selection.
Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney’s Golden and Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle’s O’Brien helped lead their teams to state championships. At Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield, Adams’ team missed the playoffs. Still, Loyola can say it produced arguably the nation’s top cornerback.
As Villamarzo noted, teams seldom targeted the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Adams, whom Rivals ranks as the No. 23 overall player and No. 2 cornerback nationally in the 2026 class. Adams, who is also the No. 2 prospect in Maryland, still recorded two interceptions, 34 tackles and two tackles for loss in nine games. He also contributed on offense, catching 13 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
Also in the Northeast, O’Brien was among the country’s most productive two-way players. Rivals’ No. 3 player in Pennsylvania and No. 25 overall prospect nationally was most dominant on offense with 86 receptions for 1,247 yards and 18 touchdowns. On defense, he showed why he is Rivals’ top-rated safety in the class, intercepting four passes — including three in the state championship game — breaking up 11 passes, forcing two fumbles, recovering another and finishing with 39 tackles.
Golden’s season totals further validated his All-America selection. The 6-foot-3½, 278-pound defensive lineman logged 39 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, 38 quarterback hurries and 76 total tackles in 15 games. Rivals ranks him as the No. 23 defensive lineman and No. 229 overall player nationally, as well as the No. 28 prospect in Florida. Originally from Virginia, Golden played for former Notre Dame quarterback and tight end Jared Clark.
Golden, O’Brien and Adams all verbally committed to Notre Dame last summer. Adams and O’Brien announced their decisions on June 20, while Golden followed on Aug. 9. Each was heavily recruited by programs across the country.
According to Rivals’ rankings, all three prospects are four-star recruits. However, Adams and O’Brien are trending toward five-star status because both rank within the top 32 nationally. Each year, Rivals awards five-star designations to the nation’s top 32 prospects to mirror the number of first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Rivals evaluates prospects based on NFL Draft potential rather than solely on high school production, though on-field results remain a significant factor in the process.
All three signed on to play for Marcus Freeman. And as they all proved this past high school football season, they have the potential to make a major impact.