Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 OCT. 31, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL I n a season that has revealed what's different on the field, TaRiq Bracy's first-ever media session was a reminder some things haven't changed off it. A quiet man by nature sat at a dais at Notre Dame's practice facility ear- lier this month, staring into a cam- era, and spoke in muted tones and one- or two-sentence sound bites. One had to lean into the computer to comfortably hear him over Zoom. "I don't want to say he doesn't like the spotlight, but he doesn't go out looking for it," said Eric Ames, Bra- cy's baseball coach at Milpitas (Calif.) High School in the Bay Area. "I've viewed him as this shy kid." But … "He pops out," Ames added. Maybe that level of monotony is just his nature, but his play this season sure reverberates. Bracy, now a junior cornerback for the Irish, is a full-time starter and centerpiece on yet another steely Notre Dame defense. A mid-level three-star recruit and center fielder turned cornerback is no longer a developmental project. The words "complete" or "shutdown" can be thrown around when discuss- ing him and met with agreement rather than cocked eyebrows. Bracy is 10 pounds heavier than he was a year ago, up over 180 and more importantly, staying there. The fluidity, athleticism and speed he displayed playing outfield for Ames that Notre Dame liked enough to take as a long-term project is now supplemented by evident strength. His tackling contributions this year have impressed as much as his cover skills. Through four games, he was third on the team with 18 tackles, including 2.0 stops for loss and three passes broken up. The ability to hack it on the field wasn't in question after a freshman season where he cracked the cor- nerback rotation, and a sophomore year splitting time at field corner opposite Troy Pride Jr. But Notre Dame needed him to become an every-down mainstay at a position that endured widespread offseason turnover. That started with adding weight and keeping it. More meals. More snacks. Workout tweaks. "It was a problem for me to put on weight early on, but I got with the nutrition staff and [strength] coach [Matt] Balis," Bracy said. "They really helped me put on the weight I need." Notre Dame's games against Florida State and Louisville are one long high- light reel of how a bit more bulk im- proved everything. In both, Bracy either led or tied for the team lead in tackles, with 14 between the two games. He has allowed eight catches for 84 yards on 13 targets this season, but here's the operative number: only 10 of the yards allowed have come after the catch. Bracy has, with few exceptions, kept everything in front of him. That may lead to a few easy short completions, but with consistent tackling, zero room to run. Bracy breaks on the ball as if he's propelled from a cannon, and he wraps up like a boa constrictor. "He has taken nutrition seriously to the level where he's holding his weight in the 182-183 range," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "Stronger in the weight room. Add all those things together and that's what you're seeing." AN INTRIGUING BASE It wasn't that Bracy had a physical- ity aversion previously. He liked it, actually, said Milpitas football coach Kelly King. He could get in an op- ponent's grill as a press corner and break a tackle at running back. "He didn't shy away from contact," King said. "He could make you miss. And there were times he'd hit you. I don't remember him missing a tackle." But that was high school. Notre Dame's opponents are in a different stratosphere. And Bracy was aware Notre Dame wanted him not for what he was then, but what he could become. He was also conscious of his generously listed 170-pound frame. The Irish signed Bracy as part of a six-man defensive back class in 2018 that included top-50 recruit Hous- ton Griffith and two other four-stars. They were attracted because they thought the effortless fluidity and hip flipping he displayed as a left- handed center fielder portended col- lege football success as a corner. Add in that he was a shoo-in for two steals anytime he reached first base, and he had an intriguing starter kit. "For baseball, we use the term, 'stay behind the ball,'" Ames said. "That keeps it from going over his head. He has a good instinct and good reads. His depth perception is good because he can see if the ball is going to go PACKING A PUNCH A stronger and more physical TaRiq Bracy is making all kinds of noise