Notre Dame’s late push for safety Karnell “Greedy” Williams falls short as recruit flips to LSU

Notre Dame’s pursuit of coveted 2027 safety Karnell “Greedy” Williams ended without the payoff the Irish were hoping for. Williams, who had committed to Texas in December 2025, ultimately flipped to LSU instead, a change that reshapes the recruiting picture for three major programs tied to the same defensive-back target.

According to reporting, Notre Dame entered the recruitment later than Texas. The Irish had offered Williams in February, after which the pitch picked up momentum enough for both Notre Dame and LSU to emerge as viable late destinations despite Texas remaining the original commitment. The reported timeline adds urgency to the Irish push, with the decision framed as a flip from Texas to LSU announced during the same week Williams continued to take visits.

Williams is listed at 6-foot and 175 pounds, and the 2027 target is identified in the reporting as a top-ranked safety in the 247Sports Composite, specifically No. 24 at the position and No. 282 overall. Those labels matter because elite safeties do not just fill a roster spot in college football recruiting. They also shape how a secondary coach builds the back end of the defense and how a program balances coverage responsibilities against the run.

The same report says Williams described Notre Dame’s coaching staff positively when speaking to Mike Roach of 247Sports, emphasizing that the Irish have “an amazing coaching staff” and singling out Marcus Freeman’s role. That kind of language is common in recruiting, but it is also a sign that Notre Dame’s relationship-building effort resonated, at least enough to keep LSU and Notre Dame in play deep into the process.

In the end, the key factor was not the fact that Notre Dame showed up, but that LSU ultimately won the relationship battle. The reporting frames the difference as coming from Williams’ connection to LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. For Notre Dame, the loss is a recruiting setback even if the program is not the only one that gets tested by elite in-state and SEC pull.

What comes next is less about one player and more about momentum. Notre Dame already has an eye on additional 2027 recruiting targets, but flipping on a high-end defensive back can also influence the priorities of the staff’s remaining board, especially if the Irish were targeting Williams as a cornerstone safety. For LSU, the move reinforces its continued emphasis on recruiting speed and versatility in the defensive backfield, while Texas faces the practical challenge of replacing a player it had originally secured.

For fans watching the class take shape, the immediate question is whether Notre Dame can translate this late push into another defensive back commitment before the class cycle fully settles. For LSU and Texas, it is how quickly they can lock down the rest of their defensive-back room and how the coaching staffs respond to the ripple effects of a late flip.