Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 23, 2019 17 But with his speed (Pride is the fast- est player on the team) and versatility (he was an Irish special teams ace upon arrival) this roller-coaster ride at Notre Dame has turned a once scrawny, un- prepared and overwhelmed college cornerback into a 6-0, 194-pound legiti- mate NFL prospect. "It's amazing," Pride said. "I'm still that guy who went on a 4-8 team that was just running around, 165 pounds, just playing. I'm still that guy, but I'm better because of it." Pride penned in black ink the word "QUIET" on the toe tip of his left cleat, and the word "CONFI- DENCE" on his right cleat. He uses this simple message as a mute re- minder to stay in the moment — every day in life and every play in football. "Those two words together," he said, "I just click my feet, check the cleats and, 'Alright, let's go.'" ✦ Heading into the final three regular-season games of his Irish career, Pride had compiled 114 tackles, 21 passes defended and four interceptions. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS