On this date (June 18) last year, Notre Dame had just picked up its first defensive back commitment of the 2020 class.
Earlier this month, the Irish added its third pledge in the secondary for the 2021 cycle, and pundits would agree that Notre Dame’s defensive back recruiting efforts have been significantly improved this year.
In February, Notre Dame added a hard-hitting safety when Bolingbrook (Ill.) High’s Justin Walters selected the Fighting Irish. Three months later, lockdown cornerback Philip Riley from Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale committed to Brian Kelly’s program.
Notre Dame’s third defensive back commitment is the lowest rated of the three. Walters is rated as a 5.7 three-star and Riley is a 5.8 four-star per Rivals. Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard’s Ryan Barnes, a versatile defender who committed to Notre Dame June 6, is rated as a 5.6 three-star, but is one of the most talented players on the East Coast.
“He has what folks are looking for – length,” former Notre Dame captain and linebacker Mike Goolsby said on last week’s Irish Huddle episode. “He’s long. If you had a crystal ball, I’d probably project him as a safety. He seems to have a similar body type as [Notre Dame safety] Kyle Hamilton — covers a lot of ground.”
Goolsby doesn’t seem to agree with Rivals’ current assessment of the 6-2, 180-pounder.
“The three stars might not boost Notre Dame’s recruiting rankings on a national scale, but he’s a player,” Goolsby said. “He can run, he’s long and you can never have enough of those body types in the back end of your defense.”
Barnes didn’t receive his first scholarship offer until last November and saw his recruitment blow up afterwards. He held more than 30 offers before picking the Fighting Irish.
“The other thing that I really like about him, and I’ll beat this drum over and over again, the way the kid plays the game, he definitely has a little fire in his belly,” Goolsby added. “He has fun out there and seems to love the game of football and competes. To me, as an ex-player on the defensive side of the ball, that really gets me excited.”
In a recent episode of Pod Like A Champion, the recruiting podcast at BlueandGold.com, Goolsby raved about Riley, who was newly committed at the time. Goolsby is excited about the thought of a secondary that includes Barnes and Riley.
“Load them up,” he said. “They’re both really good-sized corners. Barnes is listed at 6-2 and looks it on the field. He’s probably not as clean in his technique — footwork, hands, eyes — all of those things that we raved about with Riley. But [Riley] doesn’t have quite the length as Barnes does. But yeah, load them up in the defensive backfield.
“That ball [Barnes] is playing in Maryland looks to be really good. Guys are flying around. Tailback and corner, generically speaking, are the two easiest positions for a young kid and come in and contribute right away. If he’s playing at a high level of football right now, he’s got a bit of charisma, I’m excited. Go get more.”
Barnes plans to enroll early at Notre Dame, which would give him a leg up on potentially playing as a freshman. His versatility could help him see the field early as well.
“It wouldn’t shock me, at least situationally, where [Isaiah] Pryor could slip down to rover in a third and long, take your typically rover and move him inside and work in a younger kid, like Barnes, at safety,” Goolsby explained. “There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of interchangeable positions there. It’s all good as far as I’m concerned — get long athletes, get kids that love football.”
Notre Dame has 11 commitments in the 2021 class, which currently ranks No. 14 in the country.
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