Notre Dame Defensive Staff Impressing 2021 CB Philip Riley

Notre Dame needs defensive backs in 2021 and the Fighting Irish staff has dialed in on a few names in recent weeks. 

2021 Bloomingdale (Fla.) star Philip Riley‍ is one of those names and the Notre Dame made it clear how much he is needed in South Bend last week as Brian Kelly, Clark Lea, Terry Joseph and Mike Mickens jumped on a Zoom call. 

“Coach Lea, Coach Joseph, Coach Mickens and Coach Kelly - I actually pretty much talked to the whole defensive staff,” Riley told Irish Sports Daily. “They're pushing really hard and I do appreciate it." 

Notre Dame offered the four-star prospect at the end of March and Mickens has quickly built a strong relationship with the Florida native. Mickens has also hit home with Riley with his unique background with Kelly. 

“It's amazing because he played for Coach Kelly at Cincinnati,” said Riley. “He already knows how Coach Kelly is and the way he coaches and runs the program. 

"We've gone over technique and life. He's a great coach and a great guy. He's been showing me the way he coaches and what he needs out of his players. We've had great conversations and we talk a couple times a week."

Lea impressed the Riley and his family with his super honest approach during his presentation. The third-year defensive coordinator showed Riley the holes in his defense and where the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder could help fix the issues.

"We sat down with my parents and got on Zoom,” Riley said about his meeting with Lea. “He gave us a presentation that was about an hour and 45 minutes. It was great. 

"We got to see the style he coaches and what he expects out of his players. He showed us what they're trying to fix in the program and how they're going to fix it. He showed me flaws and how they've fixed it or will fix it. 

"He shared his plan for me and the plan for the whole defense for the future." 

Riley has watched film with coaches at other programs, but it had always been about showing him good plays. Lea’s approach hit home and even built a level of trust. 

“It was amazing and spoke volumes to me,” explained Riley. “A lot of programs are hyping up football successes and the things they did great in the past. The first thing he talked about was the flaws and the things he needed to fix at Notre Dame. 

"It was really unique. I know they kept it 100 all the time, so I can definitely trust what they're saying. everything they say is backed up by facts, so that's another thing that goes into it." 

The coronavirus has limited prospects in being able to visit, but Riley has been able to get up to speed by talking to people around Notre Dame and not just the football program. 

"I've got to talk to students at Notre Dame, the commits in 2020 and 2021,” said Riley. ‘I've spoken to players already at Notre Dame. I've done a lot of research and built relationships with a variety of people at Notre Dame.

"I've talked to commits at other commits in my class at other schools, but not as deep as at Notre Dame. I haven't talked to students or commits who are already at the school anywhere else."