Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 25 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE stronger, fill out his frame and learn the finer points of linebacker play, but his upside is about as good as any defensive player in the class. CORNERBACK Signed: Noah Boykin, TaRiq Bracy, DJ Brown and Joseph Wilkins Jr. Meeting Needs: After signing back-to-back three-man classes in 2015 and 2016, Notre Dame struck out at the position in 2017. A rebound was needed, and the Irish staff accomplished that by land- ing four players to go with Houston Griffith, who will start out at corner- back as a freshman this spring but seems likely destined for safety. It's a group that meets Notre Dame's desire for more length, with three of the four signees standing at least 6-1, and it answers the team's desire for more speed. Summary: The class ended up well, but it took a winding road to get there. Four-star Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Kalon Gervin committed to Notre Dame over a year ago, but four months later he left the class and eventually signed with Michigan State. Everett (Wash.) Archbishop Murphy four-star cornerback Kyler Gordon and Anaheim (Calif.) Servite four-star Julian Irvin were rumored to be leaning towards the Irish but both stayed out West. Notre Dame didn't land a corner until November, when Wilkins com- mitted shortly after his official visit. Just over a month later Bracy joined the class, giving Notre Dame a qual- ity duo that is long on potential but short on experience. That pair would have worked for the Irish, but on National Signing Day Brown and Boykin signed, giving Notre Dame more options and competition. On Paper Grade: B+ Boykin is ranked by Rivals as the No. 204 player in the country, and Brown is ranked by ESPN as the na- tion's No. 225 overall player. Bracy is the lowest-ranked corner in the class, but no one has more upside. A dominant prep running back that made plays in all three phases of the game, Bracy earned a five-star up- side grade on the BGI Big Board. He will likely need some time, but Bracy could eventually become the best of the group. Boykin and Brown are the most ready to play right now, with both able to use their smarts and length to make plays on the ball. Wilkins could end up playing wide receiver, but cornerback is where his game is best suited in the long run. SAFETY Signed: Derrik Allen, Houston Griffith and Paul Moala Meeting Needs: Notre Dame signed six safeties in the last two years and also added Navy transfer Alohi Gilman, who has three sea- sons of eligibility remaining. Num- bers weren't an issue for the Irish at safety in this cycle, so it could be selective with impact talent. They got that when they landed Allen, BGI's highest-graded safety to pick the Irish since Harrison Smith signed back in 2007. Griffith was ranked by Rivals as the No. 43 overall player in the coun- try, giving the Irish a pair of premier players at the position. Summary: Allen was the No. 1 player on the board from day one, and after a pair of unofficial visits as a junior, he joined the class last Feb- ruary. Despite overtures from pro- grams like Georgia and Clemson, he never wavered. Griffith had been on Notre Dame's radar going back to his freshman year at Chicago Mt. Carmel. After pledging to Florida State in October, Griffith eventually backed out of that commitment, and Notre Dame was the clear choice. Moala wasn't on Notre Dame's radar at all, but a dominant perfor- mance at the program's summer camp earned him a scholarship offer, and he committed in October. On Paper Grade: A Allen's combination of size, ath- leticism and a remarkably high foot- ball IQ makes him a special player. Griffith, like Allen, spent the first three years of his prep career play- ing cornerback. Both bring top-flight coverage ability to the position, something Notre Dame desperately needed after its safeties combined for zero interceptions and just five passes broken up during the 2017 season, and just four interceptions from 2015-17. Moala is a do-it-all player with the work ethic to out- shine his prep ranking. Allen, Griffith and cornerback Boykin were all Rivals250 players, marking the first time since 2012 that Notre Dame landed three na- tionally ranked secondary players in the same class. In fact, Notre Dame signed just one ranked secondary player in the 2016 and 2017 classes combined. OVERALL ANALYSIS Notre Dame checked off all the boxes with this class. It overcame past recruiting failures with depth and impact talent at those positions. It brought in playmakers on both sides of the ball, and the defensive class was especially good. Quarter- back play is essential to success in college football, and the Irish landed one of the nation's premier signal- callers. The team's quarterback, wide re- ceiver, tight end, defensive tackle, linebacker and secondary classes are among the best in the country. Holes that plagued past classes do not ex- ist in this group. It includes players that can come in and push veterans early on, which should impact the roster even when the members of the 2018 class aren't the ones winning the starting jobs. When Kelly revamped the pro- gram after the 4-8 season, the influx of coaching talent provided a huge boost to the program. Combined with already strong recruiters on the staff like defensive line coach Mike Elston and cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght, the result is a class that pro- vides continued bright days ahead for Notre Dame. ✦ Rivals ranked Derrik Allen as the nation's No. 11 safety and No. 135 overall player. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM