2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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DEFENSIVE BACKS BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 109 the Dallas Cowboys … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2016 12-9 38 1.0 0.0 1 0 2017 11-0 18 0.0 0.0 0 0 Totals 23-9 56 1.0 0.0 1 0 DONTE VAUGHN • CB Jr. • Memphis, Tenn. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 205 Career Highlights: Played in nine games last year and made six tack- les … Saw action in 10 contests and made four starts in 2016 … Totaled 22 tackles (13 solo), inter- cepted one pass and tied for the team lead with six passes broken up. Prep: Scout ranked him as a four-star talent, the No. 6 prospect in Tennessee, and the No. 15 corner- back and No. 245 overall player in the country … Was the top performer for a Whitehaven High defense that allowed just 13.6 points per game during his se- nior season, registering 40 tackles, 12 passes broken up and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns … Named to the All-USA Tennessee first team by USA Today … Earned a spot on the Ten- nessee Sports Writers Association all-state first team as a defensive back after both his junior and senior seasons … Played in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game, which pits the best players from Memphis and Shelby Counties, and intercepted a pass in the contest. Personal: Born Oct. 12, 1997 … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2016 10-4 22 0.0 0.0 1 6 2017 9-0 6 0.0 0.0 0 0 Totals 19-4 28 0.0 0.0 1 6 NEWCOMERS DERRIK ALLEN • S Fr. • Marietta, Ga. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 215 Prep: Rated as a four-star talent, the No. 11 pros- pect in Georgia, and the No. 5 safety and No. 82 overall player nationally by ESPN … Registered 54 tackles (three for loss), three interceptions and seven passes broken up in eight games as a senior, before missing the final two contests of the season due to a hand injury … Added 14 receptions for 191 yards and four scores as a wide receiver, and averaged 32.0 yards on 14 kick returns … Tabbed as an All-American by the U.S. Army and Tom Lemming as a senior … Named to the USA Today 2017 All-USA Georgia first team as a defensive back … Listed as a second-team defensive back on the 7A (largest classification) all- state team by the Georgia Sports Writers Association as a junior and senior … Selected as the Cobb County Touchdown Club Defensive Back of the Year in 2017 … Earned first-team Junior All-America accolades from CBS Sports in 2016, after notching 37 tackles, two interceptions, a sack, two forced fumbles and seven passes broken ups … Chosen to participate in Nike Football's The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore. Personal: Born May 11, 2000 … His father, Der- rik Allen Sr., played basketball at Army West Point, where he was a team captain in 1993 … His mother, Chinita Allen, graduated from Columbia University and was a 2015-16 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Math nominee … Plans to major in computer engineering. NOAH BOYKIN • CB Fr. • Washington, D.C. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 176 Prep: Rivals ranked him as a four-star recruit, the No. 2 player in Washington, D.C., and the No. 21 cor- nerback and No. 204 overall prospect in the country … Notched 65 tackles, six interceptions and two touchdowns on defense during his senior season … Also compiled roughly 500 receiving yards and four scores on offense, plus returned a pair of punts for touchdowns … Named to the 2017 All-USA District of Columbia first team by USA Today … Played in the Offensive-Defense All-American Bowl and was selected as the "Best Defensive Back" at the event. Personal: Born Feb. 8, 1999. TARIQ BRACY • CB Fr. • Milpitas, Calif. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 170 Prep: Listed as a four-star prospect, the No. 45 player in California, and the No. 22 athlete and No. 302 overall player in the nation by 247Sports … Finished his career with 6,450 all-purpose yards (3,755 rushing, 1,659 receiving, 436 kickoff returns, 449 punt returns and 151 interception returns), 112 tackles, 14 interceptions and 73 touchdowns (47 rushing, 19 receiving, three interception returns, two punt returns, one kickoff return and one fumble re- turn) … Rushed for 2,049 yards (8.6 per rush) and 26 touchdowns while catching 13 passes for 251 yards (19.3 per catch) and two scores as a senior … Also recorded 28 tackles and three interceptions, return- ing all three for touchdowns, while helping Milpitas to a 14-1 record and the California Interscholastic Federation 4-A state championship … 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 (Calif.) Southwest in the state title game … Named first-team All-Metro by The San Francisco Chronicle as a junior and senior. Personal: Born Feb. 19, 1999. DJ BROWN • CB Fr. • Crownsville, Md. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 180 Prep: ESPN rated him as a four-star talent, the No. 1 player in Washington, D.C., and the No. 28 cornerback and No. 225 overall recruit in the land … Helped St. John's College to a 9-2 record and its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference football championship since 1989 … Played in the Under Armour All-American Game. Personal: Was a high school teammate of current Irish freshman defensive end Kofi Wardlow. HOUSTON GRIFFITH • S Fr. • Chicago Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 196 Career Highlights: Enrolled in January 2018. Prep: Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 11 re- cruit in Florida, and the No. 4 safety and No. 43 overall player nationally by Rivals … Recorded 35 tackles, three stops for a loss, one sack, one interception and four passes broken up as a senior, while helping Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy to a 9-0 record and the No. 2 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 and MaxPreps Xcellent 25 … Participated in the Under Armour All- American Game and made one tackle … Participated in Nike Football's The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore. Personal: Born Dec. 17, 1999 … Spent the first two years of his high school career at Chicago Mt. Carmel before transferring to IMG Academy … His father, Howard Griffith, was a 10-year NFL veteran at fullback and a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos. PAUL MOALA • S Fr. • Mishawaka, Ind. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 196 Prep: Listed as a three-star recruit, the No. 8 player in Indiana and the No. 49 safety in the country by ESPN … Recorded 79 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception as a se- nior while helping lead Penn to a 13-2 record and the Class 6A state championship game … Also scored seven touchdowns, with five coming on punt and kick returns and two via pass receptions … Selected as the Indiana Defensive Player of the Year and an All-USA Indiana first-team performer by USA Today … Named the state's Mr. Football Defensive Back by the Indiana Football Coaches Association … Played in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl Jan. 18 in Honolulu and had a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown. Personal: Born Jan. 31, 2000 … Moved from Utah to Indiana when he was younger … His father was a pro- fessional rugby player in Hawai'i … His older brother Inoke is a sophomore defensive end at Indiana State. JOE WILKINS JR. • CB Fr. • North Fort Myers, Fla. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 180 Prep: 247Sports rated him as a three-star talent, the No. 81 prospect in the Sunshine State and the No. 45 athlete in the nation … During his senior campaign, caught 34 passes for 616 yards and six touchdowns on offense, while adding 36 tackles, five passes broken up and two interceptions on defense … Led North Fort Myers to 9-1 record, the school's best mark since going 11-2 in 2006 … Named to The News Press All-Area first team. Personal: Born Jan. 22, 1999 … Played high school football under former Florida Gator and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham. Freshman safety Houston Griffith showed this spring he will factor into the lineup in the fall. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL

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