Steve Sarkisian’s Texas is undergoing a huge roster revamp, with 40 new players set to join the squad for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, he must stay vigilant in high school recruiting, as rival programs are already attempting to sway committed Longhorns prospects.
Steve Sarkisian Sees Pressure from Notre Dame for Elite Texas Safety Commit
Notre Dame is making a push for Texas safety commit Karnell “Greedy” James Jr., who will be officially visiting South Bend, according to Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. The visit follows an offer from new Irish defensive backs coach Aaron Henry in February 2026, as Marcus Freeman is working to build the Irish’ defensive backfield for the 2027 class.
“Notre Dame is a huge program,” James said.
James attends Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas. He committed to Texas in December, choosing Sarkisian’s program over Texas A&M, TCU, and Arizona State.
“They built the relationship with me quickly,” James told Inside Texas following his commitment. “They showed interest. They really like me, especially (Mark) Orphey. They showed they really wanted me. They’re not afraid to play freshmen. They think really highly of me being able to play all the DB positions, and they don’t take many DBs.”
SEE ALSO: CFB World Reacts to ‘Generational’ Label on Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore
Following his commitment, James even vowed to get four-star cornerback Brandon Sherrard to Texas’ 2027 class. Sherrard is already trending towards the Longhorns as Rivals gives them the best odds of securing his commitment at 40%, but Texas remains concerned for James.
If Notre Dame impresses James in the upcoming visit and can ultimately flip him, it will definitely be a big boost for the Irish. Notre Dame has 7 committed players in the 2027 class, ranking No. 6 in the nation. The Irish already have a safety commit in the cycle in four-star Khalil Terry.
Meanwhile, losing James to Notre Dame would be a major blow to Texas. He recorded 31 tackles (5 for loss), 1 interception, and 7 pass breakups in his sophomore season. He could be a key contributor to Texas’ defense, which ranked No. 17 nationally in PFSN’s College Football Defense Impact Metric with an impact score of 85.4 this past season.
DON’T MISS: Steve Sarkisian Makes Feelings Clear on Arch Manning’s New $2.9M Offensive Weapon
James is a three-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite, ranked No. 629 nationally. Rivals Industry Ranking also rates him as a three-star, ranking him the No. 65 safety in the 2027 class and No. 85 recruit in Texas.
While his rankings aren’t eye-popping, offers from programs like Arizona State, Texas A&M, Baylor, Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky underline his potential.
Texas’ 2027 class currently has six commits, ranked No. 9 nationally and No. 4 in the SEC. James is the only safety commit in the class, which also features four-star wide receiver Easton Royal and EDGE Cameron Hall.
