Notre Dame has landed its fourth defensive back pledge of the 2021 class.
Encino (Calif.) Crespi cornerback Chance Tucker has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, choosing the Fighting Irish over Arizona, Boise State, BYU, Colorado, Northwestern, Oregon State, Princeton, Washington, Washington State and others.
“The player development, life after football and tradition,” Tucker said about why he chose Notre Dame.
Tucker earned an offer from the Fighting Irish June 2 and quickly built a strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens. He had several Zoom calls with the coaching staff in late June and throughout July, which was key in the Irish’s push past Washington.
“Notre Dame is a great place, great school, great institution,” Tucker previously told BlueandGold.com. “It also has a great football program, so it’s the best of both worlds.
“It’s very prestigious academically. What more can you ask for?”
In 13 games last fall, Tucker posted 58 tackles, 10 passes defended and three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). At receiver, he caught 13 passes for 176 yards and two scores.
He is expected to come in as a cornerback for the Fighting Irish and is excited to play for Mickens.
“Coach Mickens has a very competitive spirit and is always looking to get the best people on the field,” Tucker noted. “He’s a track guy and I am, too, so he relates to me a lot.
“It’s about their academics, which are very prestigious and top of the line. Their coaching staff has made has it clear that they’d be able to develop me and use my skill set — not only on the field but off the field, too. They can help develop me as a man and help me reach my goals.”
Tucker is Notre Dame’s 13th commitment of the 2021 class and seventh on defense. The Irish currently have a four-man defensive back class which consists of Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard’s Ryan Barnes, Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale’s Philip Riley and Bolingbrook (Ill.) High’s Justin Walters.
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @ToddBurlage and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
