SIGNED: S Derrik Allen

Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter safety Derrik Allen submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame on Wednesday.

Rivals: 4-star (No. 8 recruit in Georgia, and No. 7 safety and No. 66 overall player nationally)

BGI Grade: 4.5-star

Upside Grade: 5.0-star

Allen will be just the third Rivals100 safety to sign with Notre Dame since Brian Kelly was hired as head coach. The first was 2013 signee Max Redfield, and both Allen and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Houston Griffith are Rivals100 safeties in the current class.

Allen checked in at 6-2 and 211 pounds at the Nike Football The Opening Regional in March at Buford High School in Georgia. He did not test at the event, but his performance in drills earned him a berth into the Nike Football The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore.

SENIOR SEASON: Compiled 50 tackles and three interceptions on defense, plus hauled in 14 receptions for 191 yards and four touchdowns on offense. Also averaged 32.0 on 14 kick and punt returns.

JUNIOR SEASON: Notched 37 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, two forced fumbles and seven passes broken up.

SENIOR SEASON (2017)

First-Team All-Cobb County Defensive Back (Cobb County Touchdown Club)
Tom Lemming’s Senior All-America team selection
All-Region Defensive Back (Georgia Coaches Association)
U.S. Army All-American
Nike Football The Opening Finalist

JUNIOR SEASON (2016)

Cobb County Defensive Back of the Year (Cobb County Touchdown Club)
First-Team All-Cobb County Defensive Back (Cobb County Touchdown Club)
CBS Sports First-Team Junior All-American (DB)
Second-Team 7A All-State Defensive Back (Georgia Sports Writers Association)

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2015)

Max Preps Sophomore All-American

FRESHMAN SEASON (2014)

Adidas Freshman All-American

POWER FIVE OFFERS: Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Florida, Michigan, Miami, Auburn, Penn State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Michigan State, NC State, Tennessee, South Carolina, UCLA, Arkansas, Duke, Louisville, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Maryland, California, Arizona State and North Carolina.

Allen was one of the most heavily recruited and highly coveted safeties in the country. Despite offers from teams all over the country, he narrowed his focus onto Notre Dame, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and Penn State, before choosing the Irish on Feb. 13, 2017.

The standout safety never waivered on his pledge to the Irish, and Notre Dame was the only school he visited as a senior. He visited Notre Dame the weekend of Sept. 9, when the Irish hosted Georgia.

· Born May 11, 2000.
· His father, Derrik Allen Sr., played basketball at West Point, where he was a team captain in 1993.
· His mother, Chinita Allen, graduated from Columbia University and was a 2015-16 Presidential Award for Excellent in Science and Math nominee.
· Was a part of the FBU (Football University) national championship team as an eighth grader.
· Chosen to compete in the Rivals Five-Star Challenge.

Allen is arguably the best safety prospect Notre Dame has signed since it inked Harrison Smith in the 2007 recruiting class. His combination of size, athleticism and elite-level football IQ give him an opportunity to compete for secondary playing time the moment he steps foot on campus.

“Allen only has one trait that could be considered a weakness, and that is his lack of top-end speed. Beyond that, he has elite traits all over. To begin to understand what makes him such an outstanding prospect, one has to look at his non-physical traits. He is an incredibly bright young man, and it carries over onto the football field. He is smart, he is highly instinctive and those traits make him an incredibly disruptive football player.

“He is a quality athlete that spent the first three years of his high school career playing cornerback. He is a smooth athlete that makes easy movements on the football field. Allen is so smooth that at times it makes him look like he’s not moving as fast as he actually is. His balance is outstanding and he has great feet, traits that explain why he is able to move so easily.

“His corner skills translate well to the safety position, where he has top-flight cover skills. This should allow Allen to develop into a playmaker against the pass at the next level. He must continue improving in the run game, but he has the strength and willingness to thrive in the run game.” — BGI Football Analyst Bryan Driskell

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