Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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68 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING "Notre Dame quietly had a very good National Signing Day, adding five prospects and finishing just out- side the top 10 recruiting classes na- tionally," Rivals wrote. "One of the big pickups that day, and maybe the most surprising grab, was four-star cornerback Noah Boykin, who chose the Fighting Irish over a Florida team that was expected to get his signa- ture. "Notre Dame defensive backs coach Todd Lyght orchestrated that recruitment, and he also brought in the class' top-ranked prospect in Houston Griffith. Other big gets for Lyght in the 2018 recruiting cy- cle were four-star Derrik Allen and three-star Joseph Wilkins Jr." Notre Dame brought in a seven- man defensive back haul for the sec- ond time in three seasons, and Lyght has played a pivotal role in that suc- cess with his dogged determination. Griffith — the nation's No. 43 over- all player according to Rivals — re- layed a story about Lyght's unwill- ingness to lose on the recruiting trail. Originally a Florida State commit, Griffith said in January that when he called Lyght to inform him of his decision for the Seminoles, Lyght simply replied, "Okay, I'll see you at practice on Tuesday." Lyght did in fact show up at IMG Academy's practice, and his rela- tionship with Griffith never ceased. Griffith eventually flipped from Flor- ida State to Notre Dame. In the final weeks leading up to National Signing Day, Lyght never stopped going after Brown and Boykin, despite the Irish facing major catch-up situations with both. Boykin was considered a heavy-Florida lean for weeks, but Lyght made sure Notre Dame remained on his mind. When Boykin announced for Notre Dame Feb. 7, it was one of the biggest upsets of the cycle. Lyght, of course, is a walking ad- vertisement for Notre Dame as a two-time All-American, a national champion in 1988, a first-round NFL Draft pick, a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion. THE GRADUATE TRANSFER MARKET In addition to recruiting high school players, Notre Dame has joined other schools at opening the door to graduate transfers who are immediately available to play one season. Last year it signed two such players in wide receivers Cameron Smith from Arizona State and Freddy Canteen from Michigan. Notre Dame with the 27 new in- coming freshmen has 89 scholarship players, four above the NCAA limit of 85 — yet it hasn't shut the door on looking at the graduate transfer market either. "We're always open for business," head coach Brian Kelly said. "We've got to make good decisions that are best for our program. … We're al- ways going to keep our eyes open." However, that doesn't mean one always has to look at a graduate transfer. Sometimes the answers are within the program already. At running back, for example, the Irish have taken some recent hits with Josh Adams turning pro as a ju- nior and sophomore Deon McIntosh and freshman C.J. Holmes dismissed from the team. In 2015, the Irish had similar set- backs when Cam McDaniel gradu- ated, Greg Bryant transferred and Tarean Folston tore his ACL a few plays into the opening game. Yet former safety and wide receiver C.J. Prosise stepped in and became a 1,000-yard rusher as a senior. Current defensive back recruit TaRiq Bracy was mentioned as a po- tential future option at running back because he excelled there in the prep ranks, rushing for 3,755 yards in his career (1,603 as a senior). Kelly also hinted that there are peo- ple on the current roster who could have an audition there. Someone such as current junior Nick Coleman, a star running back at Archbishop Alter in Kettering, Ohio, could be an example. Spring practice begins in early March and ends with the Blue-Gold Game April 21. "It's a little early for me to com- ment publicly, but we have some ideas internally that will augment [running back], and I think as we get closer to spring, they'll show them- selves and we'll be able to talk about that," Kelly said. "I'd prefer not to put that out there at this point be- cause we're still in shorts inside run- ning around. "As we get closer to spring, and it's a spring practice … there probably will be some more additions at that position." ✦ Rivals rated Notre Dame defensive backs coach Todd Lyght as one of college football's top 25 recruiters for the class of 2018. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Cornerback signee TaRiq Bracy, a productive ball carrier in high school, is one of several Irish players that may get a look at running back this year. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL