Troy Pride Commits To Notre Dame

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly and his coaching staff got an early Christmas present on Thursday.

Greer (S.C.) High three-star cornerback Troy Pride gave a verbal commitment to Notre Dame, picking the Irish over Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

"I think Notre Dame is in a great place," Pride said. "The caliber of coaching that Notre Dame has is great. Coaches that were even former players, they can relate even better. They can tell you about their experience there, to help you guide yours.

"I love the coaching number one. Number two, I love the tradition and the winning attitude that Notre Dame has. They want to be unique and be a different brand of football, and a different school."

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Pride, who was at one time committed to Virginia Tech, gives the Irish an athlete that has plenty of speed to play in the secondary. The 6-0, 165-pound cornerback won a Class 3A boys state title in the 400-meter dash last year with a time of 48.02. He also clocked a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at a camp back in the spring.

"He's a very competitive guy," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Woody Wommack said after watching Pride in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, an all-star contest matching top seniors from North and South Carolina in mid December. "I really liked his attitude and how he got after it with some of these guys who were more sought after than him. He's long, physical, and I really like his ability to read the receivers."

Pride becomes commit No. 21 for Notre Dame and the third cornerback in the class joining LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy four-star Julian Love and Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven four-star Donte' Vaughn.

Rivals.com ranks Pride as the No. 6 prospect in South Carolina and the No. 32 cornerback in the country.

Notre Dame running backs coach Autry Denson and defensive backs coach Todd Lyght will get credit for the recruitment.