Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAVID MCKINNEY The Bracy brothers have been playing football together their whole lives. Hailing from Milpitas, Calif., TaRiq and TyRee Bracy are twins who both helped Milpitas win a state championship in their senior years. TaRiq is the standout player of the two, and he'll head to Notre Dame this fall, where he'll be on a team without his brother for the first time ever. Growing up in the game with his brother right next to him, Bracy said, has been an experience he is extremely thankful for. "It's been amazing playing on the same team with my brother my whole life," he stated. "It's been great." Like any pair of siblings, there was a rivalry between TaRiq and TyRee, but more than that, TaRiq said, it was a learning experience. "We were always competitive," he noted. "We would get better and compete against each other. We know our strengths and weaknesses, and we help each other get better on that." Before he committed to Notre Dame, Bracy and his brother were looking into the possibility of be- coming a package deal and heading to a smaller program that would take both of them. But Bracy said h is brother, along with his parents and the rest of his family, helped him real- ize that the opportunities Notre Dame would af- ford him were too great to pass up. "They've been the big- gest part of it," Bracy said. "They've been keeping me out of trouble and keeping me on the right path, espe- cially with the recruiting process and slowing it down for myself. "They gave me advice on what to do and I really can't explain how much they've been there for me." Leaving California and his twin brother will be a challenge at first, but he knows in his heart that South Bend is where he needs to be. "The transition is going to be a little tough, but I think it will be alright in the end," Bracy said. "I'll have good friendships and good relationships with the other guys that are coming in with me, so I don't think it will be too bad." Hopefully, he said, all his new teammates at Notre Dame will help fill the void of not playing with his brother for the first time since the first time they both put on a football helmet. "It's going to be different," Bracy said. "I'm going to struggle at first not playing with him after all these years, but I feel like once I get in and meet some new guys, I can call them brothers." ✦ TARIQ BRACY CORNERBACK 5-11 · 170 MILPITAS H.S. MILPITAS, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 36 52 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 51 65 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 22 45 STATISTICS • Finished his prep career with 6,450 all-purpose yards (3,755 rushing, 1,659 receiving, 436 kickoff return, 449 punt return and 151 interception re- turn), 112 tackles, 14 interceptions and 73 touch- downs (47 rushing, 19 receiving, three intercep- tion returns, two punt return, one kickoff return and one fumble return). • Rushed for 2,042 yards (8.6 per rush) and 26 touchdowns while picking up 299 receiving yards and two scores as a senior. Also recorded 28 tack- les and three interceptions, returning all three for touchdowns, while helping Milpitas to a 14-1 record and the California Interscholastic Federa- tion 4-A state championship. He amassed four scores — including a 70-yard run, 60-yard punt return and 35-yard reception — plus a two-point conversion in Milpitas' victory over El Centro (Ca- lif.) Southwest in the state title game. • Had 1,117 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 132 carries (8.5 yards per rush), plus 52 re- ceptions for 1,036 yards (19.9 per catch) and 13 touchdowns as a junior. Also recorded 46 tackles and five interceptions. • Rushed for 791 yards and 11 touchdowns, caught 11 passes for 302 yards and four touch- downs, and intercepted six passes on defense as a sophomore. HONORS • Named to the Top 50 Metro Players list (No. 6) and first-team All-Metro by The San Francisco Chronicle in 2017. Also singled out as one of 10 "Must See" players in the Bay Area playoffs by the publication. • Chosen as the Bay Area News Group Player of the Year following his senior season. • Tabbed as the Bay Area Sophomore of the Year in 2015 and a first-team All-Metro selection in 2016 by The San Francisco Chronicle. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in Nike Football's The Opening Oakland Regional on May 22, 2016. Ran a 4.49 in the pro shuttle and a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash, plus recorded a 34.8-inch vertical jump. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 9, 2017. • Took an official visit to Notre Dame for the USC game on Oct. 21, 2017. • Primarily recruited to Notre Dame by special teams and recruiting coordinator Brian Polian. NOTABLE • Born on Feb. 19, 1999. • Recruited as a cornerback by Notre Dame, but also started at running back in high school. • His twin brother TyRee Bracy also played for Milpitas. • Also starts on the Milpitas baseball team. 2018 PROJECTION • Bracy is one of the best athletes in the class, but he will need technical work, so a redshirt sea- son is possible. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "TaRiq Bracy is a young man that I think if he's in a metro area, his recruit- ment probably blows up, but he's in an area that doesn't get quite the attention. "He won a state championship, and a lot of peo- ple still didn't know who he was." Cornerbacks coach Todd Lyght: "An outstanding young talent. He's got a little bit of a smaller frame so in the strength and power area he's going to have to do some work because he's a little devel- opmental there, but his playmaking skills, his ball skills, his speed and his reactive athleticism are second to none in this class." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Bracy is a dynamic football player on both sides of the ball, dominating as a running back and making clutch plays throughout his career as a cornerback and return man. "In that regards, he reminds me a great deal of former Notre Dame standout KeiVarae Russell, another dominant high school back that became a top-level cornerback during his career in South Bend. Bracy is still raw from a technique stand- point, but he has all the physical tools to shine. "Bracy has outstanding speed, top-flight agility and fluid hips. He combines smooth athletic skills with explosiveness and strong balance. The key for Bracy is learning the finer points of the position. If that happens his game could really take off." TaRiq Bracy Ready To Play With His New Irish 'Brothers' Bracy accounted for 2,341 total yards and 28 touch- d o w n s o n o f f e n s e p l u s returned three interceptions for scores to help Milpitas (Calif.) High win a state cham- pionship in 2017. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL