Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 49 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE "Waiting his turn, that's old news to Christian," Merritt said. He's already survived that, and done that, and he'll do it again at Notre Dame, if needed. But what he will also do, he'll keep get- ting better. "What you're going to have in another year is a guy who's ready to compete at the top level." Even with all of the attention and offers, it always seemed Gray's final destination decision would come down to either Ohio State or Notre Dame. That changed in January 2022, when LSU entered the Gray chase, shortly after Tigers head coach Brian Kelly hired Robert Steeples as his corner- backs coach. Steeples — a former NFL player — was Gray's high school coach at De Smet in 2019-20, and the two still share a tight bond. Kelly actually interviewed Steeples for Notre Dame's vacant cornerbacks coaching position in 2020, a job that Mike Mickens eventually landed and still holds. Gray said that making the phone call to Steeples to share his Notre Dame commitment decision wasn't easy. "He's a father figure in my life and a great mentor," Gray shared. "But Coach Steeples understood the path I had to take. He told me to be great, not to lose my focus, and keep doing the things that got me to this level." Beyond lofty recruiting rankings, a committed student, and a novice baker, what exactly is Notre Dame getting? "You're getting a real corner. He's not a guy that's going to be a bust," Merritt explained of his dedicated and talented graduate. "He's fast enough. He's long enough. He has the skills. He'll hit. He's not afraid of contact. He's not going to shy away. He's going to be the real deal." PRIDE AND GRATITUDE When asked about her son's recruit- ment and the destination decision pro- cess, Shonda explained how she tried to let Christian chart his own course. But make no mistake, this strong mother wasn't going let her son lose focus on his core decision criteria. "The things that were important to us as a family, was our faith and the aca- demics," shared Shonda, a veteran St. Louis educator. "And for him as a young man, 'How do you feel about the culture and the climate of the school?' "We obviously knew that the transfer portal is out there. But I made it clear to Christian, 'That wasn't an option. You better make sure and pick the school that's where you want to be.' That's how we approached the situation." And now, looking ahead about seven months to Sept. 23, another "situation" arrives for the Grays when Láel's Buck- eyes travel to South Bend to play Chris- tian's Fighting Irish. Put on the spot, Láel was asked about her rooting interests. "Umm, it's hard to say, two great teams, but I will always cheer on my brother," she said, offering a sibling cease-fire, for one weekend, at least. "So yeah, this year I'm going with ND." ✦ Gray — pictured here with his grandma, Shirley Covington — cultivated diverse interests while growing up, including robotics, baseball, basket- ball, Christian rap music and baking. PHOTO COURTESY THE GRAY FAMILY CHRISTIAN GRAY CORNERBACK 5-11 · 176 DE SMET JESUIT H.S. ST. LOUIS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 89 11 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 145 15 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 93 12 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 203 22 5 STATISTICS • Had 29 tackles, 1 sack and 3 interceptions during his senior season in 2022. Ran 4 times for 46 yards and a score, plus notched 5 receptions for 124 yards and 1 touchdown. • Posted 34 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions as a junior. NOTABLE • 2022 Missouri Football Coaches Association first- team all-state defense. • 2022 and 2021 All-Metro Catholic Conference first-team defense. • Recorded blazing 40-yard dash times of 4.40 and 4.42 at Ohio State's football camp in June 2021. He also ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at Notre Dame's camp. • In his first-ever track meet in March 2021, he ran 11.13 in the 100-meter dash and a 21.93 in the 200-meter race. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 4, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Fighting Irish over LSU, Ohio State and Southern Cal. • Recruited by cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens. • Visited Notre Dame 10 times in total, including his official visit on June 10, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Could be a rotational player in the Irish second- ary as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden: "Just a great mentality. Great attitude, great com- petitor. Just really one of the backbones of this class. Never wavered. It's an unbelievable relation- ship that he and his family forged with our staff and Coach Freeman. Really excited about his pros- pects and the ability for him to make an impact early." On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "He's interesting. He has really good length as a cornerback and has really positive athletic traits. I think there's a lot of physical upside. There are a lot of encouraging signs with his length, frame and from an athleticism standpoint. "The baseline tools are there for him to be a multi-year starter at Notre Dame. Any time you can add a player with his physical tools, you want to do that. He's one of the younger top cornerbacks in the cycle, too; he'll continue to physically mature." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "I've watched Christian develop since his freshman year, and there's no doubt he's one of the top cover corners in the Midland region. You have to like his length, how he moves in the open field and rarely gets caught flat-footed showing good anticipation. "Gray plays more physical than his size would indicate, showing remarkable footwork and a smooth backpedal. He's also good in run support and dominates his competition."