Notre Dame in the lead after Miami jumped out of race for 5-star LB Kaden Henderson

Miami is still technically in the race for Kaden Henderson, but the arrow is pointing away from the Hurricanes.

Rivals national analyst Chad Simmons logged an expert prediction for Notre Dame to land Henderson, the five-star linebacker from Jesuit High School in Tampa. Simmons is one of the most connected national analysts in the country, and his prediction comes a little more than two weeks before Henderson's scheduled July 1 commitment.

Losing a recruiting battle is one thing. Watching Notre Dame benefit after Miami backed away is another.

The Hurricanes backed away from Henderson's recruitment after he stayed on his July 1 commitment timeline. Miami's staff privately had their reasons for the move, but having to leave the race for one of the top linebackers in the country stings.

Henderson is one of the best prospects in the 2027 class. The 247Sports Composite ranks Henderson as the No. 22 overall player, No. 1 linebacker and No. 3 player in Florida. Rivals has him as the No. 26 overall player and No. 1 linebacker in the class.

Miami hosted Henderson for an official visit on May 29. He had also taken several unofficial visits to Coral Gables, so the Hurricanes had a real shot in this recruitment.

Henderson had 49 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as a junior, despite missing five games. That followed an 85-tackle sophomore season and an 85-tackle freshman season.

Miami is not empty at linebacker in the 2027 class. The Hurricanes already have A.J. Randle Jr. and Noah Glover committed. Randle is a top-100 player in the 247Sports Composite and was ranked No. 57 nationally by both On3/Rivals. Glover is a Top247 linebacker who picked Miami over Georgia and Notre Dame.

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