No. 1 DB in Illinois, Tavares Harrington, Announces Top 5 College Football Programs

The recruiting picture for one of the Midwest's most coveted defenders is finally taking shape. Tavares Harrington, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound defensive back out of Mount Carmel in Chicago, has trimmed his list to five finalists.

The Mount Carmel star, ranked as the No. 1 DB in Illinois per the Rivals Industry Ranking, revealed his top group on Saturday to Rivals reporter Hayes Fawcett.

Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama, Notre Dame and Michigan made the cut. Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Kentucky, Nebraska and Oklahoma all dropped off from his previous top 10.

Auburn, Ole Miss and Alabama in the SEC race

The three SEC finalists each bring a different sales pitch, and that variety is part of why Harrington's recruitment has stayed wide open this long.

Alabama owns the longest standing relationship in the bunch. The Crimson Tide were one of his first offers back in September 2025, and DBs coach Jason Jones made a January in-home visit that left a mark on the entire family.

"We've been building a relationship for a while now. They were one of my first offers," Harrington told Touchdown Alabama. His official visit to Tuscaloosa is locked in for June 19.

Auburn enters the picture under Alex Golesh, whose 2027 class is leaning heavily on a regional approach but has aggressively expanded into the Midwest, evidenced by the recent commitment of East St. Louis running back Myson Johnson-Cook.

Ole Miss has built one of the more interesting 2027 classes in the SEC under Pete Golding, anchored by four-star defensive lineman Ben'Jarvius Shumaker. A Harrington pledge would be the headliner of their secondary haul.

Notre Dame and Michigan push from up north

The two non-SEC finalists each have legitimate paths to land him.

Notre Dame currently holds the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine edge, though that pick dates back to September 2025. The bigger development is the staff turnover.

When Mike Mickens left for the Baltimore Ravens, the Irish hired Aaron Henry away from Illinois and rehired Jevaughn Codlin. Henry recruited Harrington while at Illinois, which gives Marcus Freeman's staff a built-in advantage. The Irish already have 2027 DB commits in Xavier Hasan, Ace Alston and John Gay.

Michigan made its move during the spring game and hasn't let up since. Harrington liked the visit enough to rearrange his summer schedule so the Wolverines get the final stop.

"I was still interested because of the production of DBs and the Chicago pipeline they have going on," Harrington told On3. "They do a great job of recruiting Chicago and playing Chicago guys."

Harrington had once eyed July 11 for his commitment, but recent reporting suggests a late June decision is now on the table.

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