ND cornerback Cam Hart can't wait to tackle his unfinished business
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — They’re roommates again, 2022 NFL first-round draft choice Kyle Hamilton back at Notre Dame this semester taking care of unfinished business where his ND degree is concerned.
And the Baltimore Ravens safety’s sidekick, Cam Hart, back at ND for a fifth year to attend to the business of presenting himself as a future NFL cornerback.
“I’m a first-round cornerback,” the 6-foot-3, 202-pound grad senior from Baltimore qualified Tuesday after practice 12 of 15 this spring. “I mean, I feel like I've been slept on because of my injuries and because of who knows what, but I'm a first-round cornerback, and I’ll show that (this fall), for sure.”
Hart is two weeks shy of a clean bill of health, he says, from a third career major shoulder injury — two left, one right — this one requiring offseason labrum surgery on his left shoulder and physically limiting his spring football participation to stretching, jogging and non-contact drill work.
That means he’ll be a spectator for Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium (2 p.m. EDT; Peacock streaming, WSBT 960-AM radio), but hardly a passive one.
"I’ve gotten a lot out of (this spring),” he insisted. “Becoming a better leader. I had the opportunity to expand and understand the defense more — see it from a coach's perspective. See what they're implementing and see what they're coaching. And overall the mental game, I guess.”
He has also seen his position group grow into one of the strongest on the team without him. Sophomore Benjamin Morrison returns from a freshman All-America season in which only two players in the FBS had more interceptions than the six he garnered. Fellow sophomore Jaden Mickey is back, and back to last spring's eye-opening form after some freshman growing pains last fall.
There are key additions — junior Lorenzo Styles, just having been moved over from wide receiver (he’ll play both positions in the Blue-Gold Game); early enrolled freshman Christian Gray (who’ll miss the Blue-Gold Game after undergoing arthroscopic surgery recently); and in June, Micah Bell, who ran a personal best 10.41-second 100 meters at a recent high school meet for his Houston Kinkaid track team.
“We do some meetings over the phone,” cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens said of Bell. “He understands that when he comes up, he has to be able to fit in. (He) understands some of the defense already. He’s going to be fine. We’ll hit the ground running. He’s fast.”
Heretofore seldom-used juniors Chance Tucker and Ryan Barnes have both surged, adding to the depth surplus. And senior Clarence Lewis has shined in the nickel role this spring, with Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper expected to battle him for the job once his own shoulder issues are resolved this summer.
“It’s coach Mickens’ culture,” Hart said of the big picture at the back end of the defense, which a year ago was its biggest question mark. “So, first is just effort and attitude, essentially.
“We want to be the group on the field that's known for giving great effort every play. We never want to get passed up on film. We never want to see anyone running to the ball faster than us, getting to the ball faster than us or playing harder than us.”
So where does Hart fit in?
“I'll play anywhere,” he said. “I’ve done it all here. I’ve played boundary, I’ve played field. I’ve had reps in the slot. When it's time to be physical, I can be physical and get into the boundary and press. When it's time to play smart and play in space, I can do that. So, whatever is needed for me I can do it.”
And if he’s healthy, which he never appeared last season to fully be, he can be the best pairing with Morrison.
Hart was highly productive in 2021, collecting 42 tackles, a couple of interceptions, a team-high seven pass breakups and four tackles for loss. His season grade from Pro Football Focus was 70.8.
Last season, he played in 11 games, with his PFF grade slipping to 65.7. He had no interceptions, four pass breakups and 25 tackles, with three of them for losses. Perhaps it was the left shoulder, but his tackling form regressed.
Which is why the player who came to Notre Dame as a three-star wide receiver is so eager to finally let his play do the talking — not that he doesn’t have a lot to say with the regular verbal kind.
Like about Notre Dame’s receiving corps.
“It’s difficult to say (toughest to cover), because I haven’t covered the freshman yet,” he said of Jaden Greathouse, Rico Flores Jr. and Braylon James. “But there's a few guys who have emerged that I like.
“I like Tobias [Merriweather]. I like Rico a lot. Rico has been playing really well. He plays with that confidence that I had seen in Jaden Mickey his freshman year. [Jayden Thomas] is obviously going to have a big role in offense this year. And so is Deion [Colzie].
“And then also, Chris Tyree. Chris Tyree is going to have a huge role in this offense. I can see it. You can still see the running back in him. He still is thinking like running back, but once he fully flips over to the receiver, he's going to be a dog.”
Hamilton, who left ND after his junior season (2021), reminds Hart daily how he can be a dog himself in 2023. And the two have talked about reviving their Inside The Garage Podcast with former teammates KJ Wallace (now at Georgia Tech) and Conor Ratigan.
“With the same guys — we would never switch,” Hart said of one of the first NIL initiatives that any Irish football player ventured into. “We're going to get back to it eventually. I'm not going to say when, but we will get back to it.
“Having Kyle back here has been great. Kyle is my best friend. Still the same Kyle that I've known since 2019. Yeah, nothing crazy. You guys probably look at him a little different because he's in the NFL. He's making money. He's making plays.
“I still see the same Kyle that I've seen in 2019. And that's what I love most about our relationship. He hasn't changed.”
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