Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE TROY PRIDE JR. CORNERBACK 5-11 • 175 POUNDS GREER H.S. GREER, S.C. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 23 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 91 26 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 95 7 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 176 16 2 MEASURABLES • Recorded a time of 4.38 seconds in the 40- yard dash. • Holds personal bests of 10.88 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 21.89 seconds in the 200 me- ters, and 48.02 seconds in the 400 meters. His 400 clocking earned him the South Carolina AAA state title as a junior. He also placed fourth in the 200 meters and sixth in the 100. STATISTICS • As a senior, tallied three interceptions, return- ing one for a touchdown. Offensively, he finished with 41 catches for 838 yards and 13 touch- downs. Also, ran for 183 yards and three scores. HONORS • As a senior, earned first-team all-state honors from USA Today. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Played for the South Carolina squad in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Dec. 19 in Spartan- burg, S.C. North Carolina won the all-star game 54-39. • Participated in the Blue-Grey All-American game, and finished with two interceptions — including one returned for a 58-yard touchdown — and eight tackles to earn MVP honors in the event. RECRUITMENT • Gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame on Dec. 24, 2015. • Also received offers from Clemson, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina, among others. • Visited campus over the weekend for the home game against USC on Oct. 17, 2015. • Initially committed to Virginia Tech before flipping to the Irish. • Primarily recruited by Notre Dame running backs coach Autry Denson, and secondarily re- cruited by defensive backs coach Todd Lyght. NOTABLE • Born Jan. 19, 1998. • Hopes to have a career in the field of broad- cast journalism. 2016 PROJECTION • Unlikely to see the field behind a depth chart of numerous returning cornerbacks. THEY SAID IT • Head coach Brian Kelly: "Troy is a special young man and is a great addition to our program. Troy's unique combination of athletic ability and competitiveness are a winning formula for a de- fensive back." • Defensive backs coach Todd Lyght: "Tremen- dous athlete. Excelled on both sides of the ball. Elite speed. He's a guy who's really going to try to become a technician. "Talking to him during the recruiting process, he was always talking about technique and player development; we got along great in that aspect on the football side of it." • BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: " Troy Pride Jr. has outstanding speed — with a personal best of 10.54 in the 100-meter dash. Even more important is the fact his speed plays well on the football field. He shows off a tremendous burst in coverage. Even when his technique gets him in trouble at the line, his elite speed allows him to quickly recover."