Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 NOV. 23, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE S enior Troy Pride Jr. has over- come many ups, downs and unexpected turns during his 43 career games playing cor- nerback at Notre Dame. But Pride's survival instincts were put to a more urgent and important test last June when he and his parents were thrown over a guard- rail, off the road, down a ditch and into a dangerous situation alongside Inter- state 74 near Lexington, Ky. Pride — along with his mother, Angela, and his father, Troy Sr. — were driving to Notre Dame after spending summer break back home in Greer, S.C., when a rear-end collision sent the family's Toyota Camry out of control and off the road. Pride Jr. was behind the wheel, taking his turn driving during this 11-hour trip. Pride Sr. was in the pas- senger seat while Angela was nap- ping in back. The wreck was violent, Pride Jr., explained, but the outcome was heaven sent. "I'm driving on the highway back to school, back to the start of senior year, back to getting everything go- ing," he said, "and it was just an ac- cident that you never really could have expected." Wheels up, windows and wind- shields shattered, fire and explosion threatening, and escape options im- peded by deployed airbags, some- how all three escaped with minimal injury. "We came out with no scratches. We came out fine," Pride Jr. recalled. "I've prayed millions of times, but my guardian angels were absolutely with me." Troy Sr. eventually needed sur- gery to repair a shoulder injury, and Angela suffered some bumps and bruises, while Troy Jr. walked away fine, and to this day, forever grateful to a higher power. "My Lord and Savior is absolutely protecting me from a lot of things," he said. "All that could have been taken away in one moment. I'll never forget that." A LONG STRANGE TRIP About four years before the acci- dent, Pride never considered leaving his southeastern roots to play college football at Notre Dame. Pride — a four-star recruit with elite speed and a trophy case stuffed with South Carolina state sprinting cham- pionships from Greer Senior High School — committed to Virginia Tech as a prep junior and seemed firmly settled on staying close to home and playing in Blacksburg, Va. Undeterred in today's fierce re- cruiting battles, Notre Dame ex- tended Pride a scholarship offer in June 2015, about six months after this all-state defensive back had commit- ted elsewhere. Intrigued by the football tradition and academic opportunities Notre Dame provided, Pride took an of- ficial visit to campus during the USC football weekend in October 2015, all while still pledging his allegiance to Virginia Tech and its legendary 29- year head coach Frank Beamer. Impressed with his visit to Notre Dame but still satisfied with playing at Virginia Tech, everything changed for Pride about two weeks later when Beamer announced he would retire at the end of that 2015 season. About a month after that, Pride decided Notre Dame was a better fit. And about four years after that, the best cornerback on the Irish roster this season marvels at his journey, and how quickly time flies. Against Bos- ton College, he will take the field in his final game at Notre Dame Stadium. "The years move so fast. There are so many memories that you want to remember, and to have happen again, but you can't," Pride said. "So, it's about cherishing the moments I have left out on the field with this jersey, with that helmet." A BAD DECISION? At the same time, first-year Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente — Beamer's successor — was leading his Hok- ies to a 10-4 record and a bowl win in 2016, Pride, a true freshman, was getting his baptism by fire on a fractured Notre Dame team that was muddling through a 4-8 season, the worst for the program in nearly a decade. Mainly because of myr- iad injuries within his posi- tion group, Pride appeared in eight games and made three starts as a rookie, often overwhelmed, and by his own admission, lacking confidence in his assignments under former Irish de- fensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. "Not a good year," Pride said. Pride believed his freshman season would become a launch point and something to build on. Instead, he was rewarded with mainly spot reps and situational time as sophomore. Doubts crept in. "Am I really supposed to be play- ing here?" Pride shared of his feelings during that 2017 season. "Am I ever going to get a chance to play here?" As a junior in 2018, Pride secured a starting spot opposite Irish All- America cornerback Julian Love, who was rarely targeted. "That year," Pride said, "I felt like the weakest link every time I stepped on the field. But you can't feel like that playing corner." And as the most experienced and reliable Irish cornerback this sea- son, confidence is no longer an issue and Pride will likely finish his final year here among the Irish leaders in passes broken up and in the top-10 in team tackles. Through nine games, he was tied for the team lead in passes broken up (five) and ranked sixth in tackles (33). Statistically, Pride won't emerge as one of the best cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft class, which isn't nec- essarily bad for his position. QUIET CONFIDENCE Senior Day brings special meaning for Troy Pride Jr. "The years move so fast. There are so many memories that you want to remember, and to have happen again, but you can't. So, it's about cherishing the moments I have left out on the field with this jersey, with that helmet." PRIDE