Advertisement
football Edit

Notre Dame’s Secondary Market Remains Old

The 2020 Notre Dame secondary is a study in contradiction.

On paper, it rivals wide receiver as the most “rebuilding” unit on the team with the graduation of three of its four starters from 2019. Yet at the same time, the defensive backfield possesses one of the most overall veteran units on the squad.

Get a FREE 60-day trial using promo code Irish60

Advertisement
Notre Dame junior cornerback TaRiq Bracy at practice
Junior TaRiq Bracy had the fourth-most snaps in the secondary last season even though he was not a full-time starter. (Mike Miller)

The departures from last season include a pair of captains/safeties who the past two seasons combined for 3,248 snaps on defense with Alohi Gilman (1,631) and Jalen Elliott (1,617). In that time they totaled 284 tackles, nine interceptions, 16 passes broken up and five fumbles forced.

Meanwhile, at corner the Irish graduated 32-game starter and fourth-round selection Troy Pride Jr., one of the three or four fastest men to suit up in the 10-year Brian Kelly era.

Despite such attrition, the reinforcements are as seasoned as one could have in such circumstances.

• Two graduate transfers in boundary corner Nick McCloud, a former captain and 19-game starter at North Carolina State, and safety Isaiah Pryor, who started seven games for the Ohio State Buckeyes as a 2018 sophomore, provide instant big-time experience to the unit.

• With only five scholarship safeties and nine scholarship cornerbacks on the roster entering August camp, versatile sixth-year senior Shaun Crawford, who started eight games at corner last year, has been primarily playing safety this preseason to supplement the reserve options that include junior DJ Brown (a former corner) and sophomore Litchfield Ajavon. Crawford did the same last year as a potential contingency option, and can line up as the nickel as well.

• Junior TaRiq Bracy’s 467 snaps last season (almost 40 per the 12 games he played) were the fourth most in the defensive backfield, behind only the aforementioned graduated trio, and his seven passes broken up paced the team.

• The main lack of starting experience belongs to rangy 6-4 sophomore Kyle Hamilton — who just happened to earn Freshman All-America honors in 2019 while finishing first on the team in interceptions (four), second in passes broken up (six) and seventh in tackles (41). Already earmarked with future first-round capabilities, when Hamilton speaks now, attention is merited.

“He has a presence about him in our program, and in particular of showing strong leadership capabilities,” Kelly said.

That nucleus which combines vast experience with proven production is expected to be augmented by junior safety Houston Griffith, Notre Dame’s top-ranked recruit in 2018 (No. 43 nationally by Rivals) who is primed for a breakout campaign after working at nickel and some at corner his first two seasons.

Step 2 is for first-year cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens to literally and figuratively develop a backup plan among his troops. Six of the nine scholarship cornerbacks have four years of eligibility remaining.

KJ Wallace, Isaiah Rutherford and Cam Hart, a converted wideout, redshirted last season, and this year the freshmen trio of Ramon Henderson, Clarence Lewis and Caleb Offord are attempting to crack the rotation — or become the next corner option to Bracy and perhaps McCloud.

“Shaun Crawford is playing a lot of safety for us right now, so one of those freshman corners (including the three redshirts) is going to have to step up and play some considerable time for us,” said Kelly this Monday, without divulging specifically whom it might be.

The highly competitive backup situation among the youth is right in Mickens’ wheelhouse. A former two-time All-American cornerback (2007 and 2008) for Kelly at the University of Cincinnati, Mickens already has developed a reputation at molding young talent into production.

Last year while working at his alma mater, Mickens shaped Ahmad Gardner to join Notre Dame’s Hamilton on the FWAA Freshman All-American team. Furthermore, Gardner was a first-team AAC selection and a third-team Pro Football Focus All-American. PFF graded out Gardner as the nation’s sixth best corner, regardless of class, highlighted by a 90.0 coverage grade.

Five years earlier under head coach Dino Babers at Bowling Green State, Mickens instructed a pair of freshman corners, Nick Johnson and Clint Stephens, who nabbed five and four interceptions, respectively, while helping the Falcons to the MAC East title — and a repeat in 2015 with a 10-3 record that helped Babers land the Syracuse job.

"He's got a great style that's unique in the sense that he's a really good communicator in terms of what he wants from you every snap,” said Kelly of Mickens. “…Every single practice rep there is some form of communication as to what he wants from you. There is a lot of dialogue. There's a lot of teaching.”

Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens at practice
First-year cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens has developed a strong reputation in developing younger players. (Mike Miller)

At the same time, one of his tenets is the “be-quick-but don’t hurry” approach from basketball legend John Wooden

“This is not a situation where we're talking and slowing things down,” Kelly said. “We're getting a lot of intensity through repetition, but there's communication always, and I really like that about Mike. He's made great progress with a bunch of young players… even Nick has benefited greatly from the teaching and technique. TaRiq Bracy has benefited greatly from that.”

Even a still old secondary can benefit from a new look and voice.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION IN ROCKNE'S ROUNDTABLE!

----

• 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_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.

• Like us on Facebook.

Advertisement