Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 19, 2022 43 BY MIKE SINGER If you're reading this article, it's likely that you're a Notre Dame fan and have been one for most of your life. Imag- ine that you were a high school football recruit with an offer from the Fight- ing Irish and were hosted by the staff for Notre Dame's upset over the-No. 4 Clemson Nov. 5. It would be hard not to commit to the Irish after that game, right? That's essentially the situation that Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller class of 2024 cornerback Karson Hobbs found himself in, although it was a tad more complicated for him. Back in July, Hobbs committed to South Carolina over Kentucky and West Virginia. At that point, Notre Dame wasn't even in the picture. He was happy with his pledge to the Gamecocks. "Notre Dame was the only school that I would have left South Carolina for," Hobbs admitted. The Irish staff reached out to Hobbs, who grew up a diehard Notre Dame fan, in early September and wanted him to visit for the Marshall game Sept. 10. He couldn't make it, though, because his team played that Saturday. Hobbs was able to visit the following week and saw Notre Dame beat Califor- nia for its first win of the season Sept. 17. He kept in close contact with the Irish staff for the next few weeks and made it back to campus for the Clemson game. On the Tuesday following the upset win for Marcus Freeman's squad, Hobbs took to social media to announce that he was de- committing from South Carolina. T h e n e x t m o r n i n g , Hobbs posted that he had committed to Notre Dame. "Dream come true," he said. "My end goal is to take care of the people who have taken care of me, and I felt Notre Dame was the best option." Hobbs' Notre Dame fandom has been a very important facet of his young life. "It means everything," he said. "Ev- eryone in my family is a Notre Dame fan. I was going to games in the first grade. I had teachers from years ago reach out and congratulate me on the commit- ment because they knew I've been a Notre Dame fan my whole life. "It was only right. I couldn't pass up my dream school. This is what I wanted to do forever." Hobbs first called Notre Dame cor- nerbacks coach Mike Mickens to inform him of his commitment. "He said, 'Are you serious or are you joking?' I told him I was being for real, and then I got to talk to Coach [Marcus] Freeman," Hobbs explained. "He said that they're extremely excited, and I got to talk to Coach [Al] Golden and Chad Bowden, and they were all fired up. The whole staff was excited." After he spoke with the Notre Dame staff, Hobbs had to make a tough call to South Carolina to inform them of his decision. "It was the hardest call I've had to make in my life," he said. "Being so close with Coach [Torrian] Gray and having to let him know that it wasn't the right fit for me was tough. It was sad, but I had to make the best decision for myself." With Hobbs being a kid from Ohio and openly a Notre Dame fan, this couldn't have come as a surprise to the South Carolina staff. "They were really respectful about it," Hobbs continued. "He said he wishes me the best in whatever I do in life and their arms are always open to me there." In the first 10 games of his junior sea- son, Hobbs recorded 19 tackles, 6 passes defended and 1 interception. According to On3, Hobbs is the No. 15 player in Ohio and the No. 31 cornerback nationally in the class of 2024. "I might not have a lot o f i n te rce p t i o n s a n d I might just be a three-star, but if you come watch my games, you'll see for your- self that I truly am a lock- down corner," he said. Hobbs was named to the 2022 Ohio All-Greater Catholic League-South second-team defense. He has been trained by former NFL defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, who was selected No. 6 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Ti- tans. Jones played his collegiate ball at West Virginia. Hobbs participates in the 100 meters, long jump and 4x100 relay in track and field. It's been reported that he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at Kentucky's pros- pect camp over the summer. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE KARSON HOBBS Notre Dame Flips South Carolina Cornerback Commit Hobbs, a 6-1, 180-pound three-star prospect and the No. 31 cornerback nationally in the 2024 class per On3, flipped his commitment from South Carolina to Notre Dame Nov. 9. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER "Dream come true. My end goal is to take care of the people who have taken care of me, and I felt Notre Dame was the best option." HOBBS FILM ANALYSIS "He's the perfect kind of cornerback. He's 6-1 1 ⁄8 and has the quick-twitch athleticism that you look for, and Hobbs plays against great competition. The Cincinnati Greater Catholic League is very good. I think it's a great catch; he's a guy who they weren't really after, which is why he went to South Carolina. But he grew up a Notre Dame fan. "Most people have him as a three-star ath- lete, but I have him as a four-star. He's proven his talent against great competition, and Hobbs has the physical tools with his length and speed. Mike Mickens did a great job going after him, and he's a really nice kid." — Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming