Signed: Shaun Crawford
Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward cornerback Shaun Crawford submitted his letter of intent to Notre Dame on Wednesday.
Rivals ranks the 5-9, 170-pounder as a four-star prospect, the No. 4 player in Ohio, the No. 7 corner in the land and the No. 82 overall prospect nationally.
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Measurables
• Last summer at the prestigious The Opening, in Beaverton, Ore., he scored 124.80 in the SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness) testing that measures overall athletic ability. He ran a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, finished the shuttle drill in 3.94 seconds, reached 38.8 inches in the vertical jump and had a 38-foot throw in the power ball challenge. He finished in the top 20 among approximately 100 participants there.
Statistics
• Totaled 91 tackles, eight stops for loss, seven interceptions, 17 passes broken up and three forced fumbles as a senior for 2014 Ohio Division I state champion Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward, which finished 13-2 and ranked No. 15 in the nation by USA Today. On offense, he caught 54 passes for 824 yards (15.3 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns.
• As a junior, he was credited with 82 total stops, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, five passes broken up and two forced fumbles. On offense, hauled in 16 passes for 258 yards (16.1 yards per catch) and two scores.
• As a sophomore, recorded 66 tackles, two interceptions, three passes broken up and two forced fumbles. Also notched 24 receptions for 420 yards (17.5 yards per catch) and five touchdowns.
Honors
• Selected to Under Armour All-American Game played on Jan. 2 at St. Petersburg, Fla.
• Named an Associated Press Division I first-team all-state selection as a senior, joining fellow Notre Dame recruit defensive tackle Elijah Taylor on that side of the ball.
Recruitment
• Gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame on June 15, 2014, after originally pledging to childhood favorite Michigan on Aug. 23, 2013, just before his junior campaign at St. Edward.
• Took his lone official visit to Notre Dame for the Football Awards Show on Dec. 12, 2014.
• Primarily recruited by former Irish defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks and secondarily recruited by defensive line coach Mike Elston.
Notable
• From the same high school as former Irish defensive lineman Bryan Flannery (1986-89), who later was in the Ohio House of Representatives. St. Edward also produced other prominent Fighting Irish alumni such as talk show host Phil Donahue and sculptor Jerry McKenna, whose statues of Notre Dame legends grace the campus.
• As a sophomore at the Ohio Division I championships in track and field, finished third in the state in the 100-meter dash with a 10.84 time, and recorded a 10.54 time in the preliminary heat. He also finished fifth in the 200 meters (21.95) while helping St. Edward to the state title. Also is a long jumper and his best distance last year was 22 feet, 7.75 inches.
2015 Projection
• Similar to freshman Nick Watkins last season in that his speed could earn him a monogram with his special teams work, but cracking the two deep at corner will be a challenge.
They Said It
Rivals Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt: "There is no doubt the knock on Shaun is that he's 5-foot-9, 165 pounds — and there's nothing he can do about that. But once you get past that, he's one of the most electrifying players on either side of the football in this entire 2015 class.
"He's a ridiculously good cover corner. He has the hips. He has the top-end speed. And he'll battle with guys. But what I think people don't recognize enough about Shaun is that he lays the wood. He comes up and smacks people in the mouth. He doesn't play like he's 5-9, 165. He plays like he's a 6-3, 225 outside linebacker.
"I have seen him make some bone-crushing hits, because he played a lot of safety in high school. They just let him go from that position, and he tattooed a number of receivers over the middle and then would come up in run support and stick a running back in the hole.
"He's a dynamic cover corner, but he's very effective in run support."
Prep Football Report's Tom Lemming: "He's outstanding. If he was 5-11, I'd put him right up there with Iman Marshall [the nation's top cornerback]. At 5-9, he's still a great cover corner, and I think he will wind up in the NFL some day. He can cover as well as anybody in the Midwest.
"It's a major catch for Notre Dame to get him away from Michigan. The only shocking thing there was that former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco originally turned him down because he was too short. When Diaco left, Notre Dame went back after him and got him. The new defensive coordinator understands that the NFL is loaded with 5-9 corners."
Film
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