Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 31, 2020 17 deep, or if he sees it's going to be short he can come it and get it. "Him getting those quick reads off the bat or off a thrown ball help him." It helped, and right away. He played 11 games as a freshman, and in 2019 he posted a team-high seven passes broken up. Two of those deni- als came against Georgia and its crop of five-star receivers. He even ended his first two years with 52 total tack- les. Pro Football Focus credited him with zero missed tackles. Notre Dame wanted more, though. Bracy did, too. His snaps were go- ing to swell up. His frame needed to as well. Especially with new cor- nerbacks coach Mike Mickens' em- phasis on tackling and elimination of some backpedaling, where hip-flip- ping ability is critical. Bracy's game needed to fit that style. "The guy running forward usually beats the guy that backpedals," Kelly said. "We've done away with a lot of backpedaling and we tackle, tackle and tackle. The emphasis on tackling Mike has brought has shown itself, and in particular with TaRiq." A MATURITY PROCESS Kelly even cites a specific play to highlight Bracy's progress. It came in run support against Florida State early in the second quarter, on a read- option handoff where 190-pound Seminoles running back La'Damian Webb spun around and reversed course when Notre Dame's defensive line clogged all running lanes. Bracy was the next line of defense in the open field. He stepped up, forced Webb to continue running sideways, engaged with him be- tween the numbers and hash marks and threw him to the ground out of bounds for a six-yard loss. "He probably would have went for a low tackle on that at the ankles last year," Kelly said. "This year, he feels a lot more confident in his abil- ity to physically neutralize a bigger opponent." The encore was a six-tackle game against Louisville where he twice cor- ralled slippery Cardinals wide receiver Tutu Atwell to prevent any extra yards after four- and six-yard receptions. An overlooked part of being a shutdown corner is the ability to limit damage when there are receptions. There's a reliability Bracy seems to have. No one doubted his ability to cover, even against bigger players. Now, he's a plus in run defense who can hold ground against running backs and is an asset in run support and in the open field. He's the only member of that six-man 2018 second- ary class who is a full-time starter. Kelly, Mickens and defensive co- ordinator Clark Lea are understand- ably thrilled. They can point to him as an example of player development and talent recognition. Bodies by Balis can tout him as another satis- fied client, as those who have seen him back home can attest. He's not so slender anymore. "Especially around his neck area," Ames said. "That's a maturity process," King added. "Your metabolism slows down, you get a little bit older. He has always been a muscular kid, just has a little more weight behind it now." That change has created all the noise Bracy desires to make. ✦ Bracy (center), a junior cornerback, has 14 total tackles in his last two games, a testament to his added strength. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS