2016 RECRUITING ISSUE
BY JORDAN WELLS
There's a certain mentality that
comes naturally with shutdown
cornerbacks, setting them apart
from some of their other gridiron
brethren.
In 2015, Notre Dame's most elec-
tric personality on the roster was
cornerback KeiVarae Russell. The
senior was known for his energetic
interviews and confident quotes.
Greer (S.C.) High cornerback
Troy Pride Jr. followed Russell's
progress closely with the Irish this
year. The four-star prospect was
strongly considering Notre Dame
even after verbally committing to
Virginia Tech in the February of his
junior year.
In fact, Pride took an unofficial
visit to Clemson Oct. 3 for the Notre
Dame game — not to watch the Ti-
gers, but to see the Irish. Pride noted
he didn't even go on the Clemson
sideline before the game — his eyes
were on the golden helmets and he
took pictures of the Notre Dame
players during pregame warm-ups.
Pride eventually decommit-
ted from the Hokies Nov. 12 and
pledged to the Irish on Christmas
Eve.
"I watched KeiVarae, Cole Luke
and Nick Watkins, all those guys
this year," Pride said. "I definitely
did my homework on them. I feel
like I could be like KeiVarae, but on
Troy Pride Jr. Brings Swagger
To Notre Dame's Defense
Rivals ranks Pride as a four-star recruit and the No. 23
cornerback in the nation.
PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM
