Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M as his top schools … Notre Dame is the conspicuous outlier of that SEC group, but the tal- ented cornerback maintains the Irish are high on his list … Made two summer visits to Notre Dame and plans to return for an official visit Sept. 5, when the Irish host Texas. BGI's Take: There are traits Vaughn brings to the game that make one think cornerback is where he could stick, and other traits that make one believe safety is where he should move. He has exceptional size and length for the cornerback position. His long arms and physicality help him overcome some defi- ciencies, mainly a lack of top-level speed and quick- ness. He uses his long legs to cover a lot of ground, but it takes him a couple of steps to get up to speed, and he lacks the kind of recovery burst that is ideal for a cornerback. His instincts allow him to read routes and mirror, traits that help him play fast. Once his technique is cleaned up he will be a force in press coverage. He has enough quickness to open and run, especially when he gets his hands on the receiver. He gets good reads on the quarterback and shows good ball skills. ERIC CUFFEE Waco, Texas Waco High School Measurables: Measured in at 5-11½ and 188 pounds at The Opening regional in Dallas … Posted a 4.1-second time in the 20-yard shuttle and jumped 33.6 inches at the same event … Ran a 4.65 in the 40- yard dash as The Opening in Beaverton, Ore. Rankings: Rivals and 247Sports grade him as a three-star recruit, while Scout and ESPN list him as a four-star prospect … Rivals rates him as the No. 51 player from Texas and the No. 29 cornerback in the country … ESPN ranks him as the No. 9 corner- back and No. 110 overall player in the land … Scout tabbed him as the No. 251 overall recruit nationally. Statistics/Honors: After racking up 25 tackles and nine passes broken up, he was named to the 17-5A All-District second team. Recruitment: Visited Notre Dame for the Irish Inva- sion June 19 and has vowed to return for an official visit, although no date has been set … Has a list that contains Notre Dame, Baylor, Michigan, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas, TCU and Texas A&M. BGI's Take: Cuffee is one of the more physical defensive backs on the board for the Irish. He plays strong, shows toughness at the line of scrimmage, has the ability to use his hands to re-route wide receivers and possesses aggressiveness in the run game. This all-around ability makes him a top pros- pect on the outside. He does not have elite speed, which holds him back a bit as a ranked prospect. He does have quick feet and strong agility, which allows him to make sudden movements in coverage, quickly plant and drive on the ball. He tends to be too choppy with his feet, and his base gets too narrow. This causes him to be inconsis- tent with his transition speed and slows him down a bit out of his turns. Once his footwork improves, his ability to play with high-level quickness will improve, making him a far more effective pass defender. The Waco standout's toughness also projects well for the nickel position. DAVONTE ROBINSON Lexington, Ky. Henry Clay High School Measurables: Listed at 6-1 and 170 pounds by Rivals … Won the 3-A state championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.85 as a sopho- more and was third as a junior (10.82). Rankings: A consensus three-star recruit … Ri- vals lists him as the No. 10 player from Kentucky … Graded as the No. 5 player from the Bluegrass State and the No. 36 cornerback in the land by Scout. Statistics/Honors: Led Henry Clay with 68 tackles during his junior season … Also recorded two inter- ceptions, broke up three passes and blocked three kicks, and contributed 543 rushing yards (11.1 yards per carry) and six touchdowns on offense … Named to The Louisville Courier-Journal All-State second