Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE an extra level. I know he's had a great career there, but I'll shoot to go past what he did. "I want to be a guy that they can say, 'Okay, we're going to play man on that side of the field,' and leave me out there and I will win that matchup." Pride's speed and length combine with his confident mentality to project a player Notre Dame hopes to use as an eraser on one side of the field. "You have to have an edge," Pride said. "There will be a play where they make a catch, and you can't let that get to you. There's some games I'll talk; I'll let you know when I'm playing well. But other times it's just business, and I won't worry about that. "In the end, I like to be the silent killer. When you're shutting them down and they know it, you don't have to tell them about it, and it makes it even worse." Greer High head coach Will Young noted that his standout defensive back handles himself well off the field, too. "His mentality is a little bit more ma- ture than the average senior coming out of high school," Young said. "When the recruiting process was going on, he asked all the questions. Most of the time it's the coaches asking questions, and kids giving one-word answers. "He was very active in making sure he found the right home, both with foot- ball and academically." Notre Dame's ambitious schedule each season puts them in the mix against some impressive, explosive talent on the offensive side of the ball. Pride looks to feature the talent — and mentality — to neutralize some of those threats for the Irish defense. ✦