Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/350567
BY DAN MURPHY There is a long list of qualities that attracted three-star cor- nerback Nick Coleman to Notre Dame, but the one that stands out the most for him is the opportunity to work hard. The Dayton (Ohio) Arch- bishop Alter senior visited the South Bend campus in early June, two weeks af- ter officially receiving his scholarship offer from the Irish. He soaked in the at- mosphere and academics. He was impressed during his meetings with defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder and secondary coach Kerry Cooks. But it was a conversa- tion with former and future teammate Malik Zaire that convinced Coleman to verbally commit to Notre Dame a day after his visit. Zaire, a sophomore quarterback on the Irish roster, played with Coleman at his alma mater for one season. The old teammates had a discussion when Coleman was on his way to visit Notre Dame about what he could expect. "He told me every day is like war, but it's a good war," Coleman said. "You have to bring it every single day in prac- tice and in school. He said if you don't want to work hard, don't come here — which is what brought me there." Ranked as the No. 56 cornerback in the 2015 class and the No. 29 player in Ohio by 247Sports, Coleman said he'd like to be considered a technician at his posi- tion. Archbishop Alter de- fensive coordinator Tom Alig agreed that the 6-0, 170-pounder 's best attri- butes are his attention to details and his willingness to work. "He's a really hard worker," said Alig, who is going into his 25th year of coaching at Alter. "He's the type of kid that watches other people's technique and tries to adapt that. Whether it's a college player, pro player or another high school player. When he comes back from camps he always comes back and tries to implement the stuff he's taught there. … He's just really coach- able." As his high school team's top cover corner, Coleman plays man-to-man regularly for Alig's defense. The coach said Coleman made big steps forward as a junior in trying to master his tech- nique, rather than relying solely on his athletic ability. Coleman said his work ethic comes from his father, Trey Coleman, who played for Notre Dame for one season COMMITMENT PROFILE NICK COLEMAN Ohio Cornerback Aims To Be A Technician Coleman is rated as the No. 29 prospect in Ohio and the No. 56 cornerback nationally by 247Sports. PHOTO COURTESY TOM LEMMING