Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale corner- back Philip Riley committed to Notre Dame as a part of its 2021 class in May in part based on what people — Irish coaches, students and others — told him about the university and football program. He then decommitted from the Irish in September and subsequently flipped to the USC Trojans. A big part of why he left his initial pledge was also what people told him about Notre Dame. This time, however, the comments were much more negative. "The [perceived lack of] diversity was one of the key reasons I decom- mitted," Riley told The South Bend Tribune. "I was filled with a lot of nonsense about how Notre Dame is not diverse." His decommitment from the Irish caught the coaching staff off guard. When Riley told them about the so- cial and racial reasons regarding his decision, the staff gave him statistics about the diversity of the student population, its graduation rate and even the international representation on the football team. Riley initially committed to Notre Dame without visiting campus. He also gave his verbal pledge to USC without ever stepping on its campus. He decided to stop listening to what people were telling him and experi- ence South Bend for himself. During a normal recruiting year, Ri- ley would have officially visited Notre Dame in the spring before a commit- ment would've taken place. But the NCAA enacted a recruiting dead pe- riod back in March that is currently set to run through April 15, 2021. Riley and his father took a trip up to South Bend for the weekend of Halloween when Notre Dame was playing on the road at Georgia Tech. Riley decided to flip back to the Irish after his time on campus. "It was a great vibe," Riley said. "It was definitely welcoming and had a friendly vibe. It sucked that I couldn't talk to the coaches or players, but seeing the students in their natural environment and t h e s t u d e n t s i n their regular week- day definitely was amazing. The his- torical buildings like the Golden Dome and Touch- down Jesus were crazy. It was amaz- ing seeing that in person. "We saw how tight knit the com- munity is and how they support their athletes. It's really diverse there — people from different walks of life and different perspectives. I built strong relationships with the other commits and coaching staff. That also resonated with me and helped lead me back to Notre Dame." Rivals ranks Riley as the No. 38 player in the state of Florida, and the nation's No. 24 cornerback and No. 241 overall prospect. When Blue & Gold Il- lustrated saw him play in September before his initial decommitment, Riley was imposing. Having bulked up in the offseason and with his physicality, he could grow into a safety in coordi- nator Clark Lea's defense. "They said I'll be playing corner, but if I need to get moved to safety, I'm fine with it 100 percent," Riley explained. "I'm going to get bigger, so if I have to get moved to safety then that's some- thing I'm comfort- able with." O n N o v. 2 0 , Bloomingdale de- feated Largo (Fla.) Pinellas Park 25-10 in the second round of the 7A Florida state playoffs. Riley has played a key role in helping lead the Bulls to an undefeated season at that point. "He's going to come after you," Bloomingdale defensive backs coach Matthew Fultz said. "He's aggressive in pass coverage. Just because he has great coverage skills does not mean he won't come up and thump you. "He's big as a tackler and can cover as well. To me, he's very well- rounded as a cornerback." — Mike Singer COMMITMENT PROFILE PHILIP RILEY Florida Corner Flips From USC And Rejoins The Irish's 2021 Class Riley — Rivals' No. 38 player in Florida, and No. 24 cornerback and No. 241 overall prospect in the coun- try — committed to Notre Dame in May, decommitted and announced for USC in September, and then flipped back to the Irish in November. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM FILM ANALYSIS "He looks the part; you can see the size on tape. In some of these plays where it's an out- side toss run, he'll disengage from the receiver and make tackles. That really speaks to his strength and eye discipline, and his footwork is exceptional. "I think he could be a boundary [short-side of the field] cornerback. He's big and physical — beats up receivers playing press coverage. But also what I like is his intestinal fortitude; he's competing all the way through the snap. "He's very well-coached. I think he's an ex- ceptional player. I'm really excited that Notre Dame got this kid." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Mike Goolsby "We saw how tight knit the community is and how they support their athletes. It's really diverse there — people from different walks of life and different perspectives." RILEY ON HIS NOTRE DAME VISIT EXPERIENCE