4-star Florida safety Xavier Lherisse has a notable Notre Dame football connection
Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has established a presence in Florida. In doing so, his reputation has caught the attention of 2026 safety Xavier Lherisse. Mickens has one of the verbal commits he has secured to thank for that.
In the 2025 class, Mickens has added pledges from two of the Sunshine State’s top five defensive backs: Ivan Taylor from Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange and Dallas Golden of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley. They are also the On3 Industry Ranking’s Nos. 52 and 103 overall players in the class.
In 2026, Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie’s Lherisse is the No. 196 overall player, No. 17 safety nationally and No. 36 prospect in Florida.
Before Mickens offered Lherisse during the program’s Pot of Gold Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event, he did not know much about the Irish. Taylor, one of Lherisse’s 7-on-7 teammates, has been responsible for providing insight into the program. Those reports have been well-received so far.
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“I’ve been talking to (Taylor) about it,” Lherisse told Blue & Gold. “He said he loves it. … It’s really (exciting) because it shows me how big of a deal Notre Dame is. When I first got the offer, I wasn’t really thinking about it.
“But now, after hearing about it, I realize that Notre Dame is a huge deal. So, it’s super exciting.”
Throughout the spring, Mickens has shown how big of a deal Lherisse is on the program’s target board. Not only have they been in regular contact, but also, on Thursday, Mickens flew to Florida to see him at his school.
The fourth-year Notre Dame’s message has pertained to the program’s depth chart and their absence of concern for the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder profile. After all, Taylor and Golden are 5-11 and 6 feet tall, respectively.
“They said my height doesn’t matter,” Lherisse said. “I am see ball, get ball. It’s not really a factor for them.”
His height did not limit his outstanding sophomore season, either. According to MaxPreps, Lherisse logged 68 tackles (42 solo), 6 pass breakups, 8 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.
A review of Xavier Lherisse’s college football recruitments
The schools targeting Lherisse have also told him they are not worried about his size. In fact, 47 programs have offered him, including 36 in a power conference. He said Oregon, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Clemson are recruiting him the hardest.
Currently, Lherisse has unofficial visits scheduled to Clemson, Kentucky and Tennessee. He has previously been to Miami, Georgia, UCF, LSU, Florida, Florida State and Texas.
Although he has yet to travel north of Athens, Ga., for a college visit, Lherisse said location is not a primary factor in his recruitment.
“When I was little, I wanted to leave Florida for college,” he said. “I never wanted to stay. …. (That has) not really (changed) because I don’t have a good relationship with any of the Florida schools now.”
However, he has a budding bond with Mickens, which makes him eager to visit Notre Dame soon. A trip to South Bend is in the works for some time at the end of July.
“Coach Mickens really opened my eyes, saying that they want me and that my height isn’t a factor,” he said. “So why not push for it? I want to go to a school where I can make an impact.”
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