A Critical Time for Cornerback Recruiting
Wide receiver is always a position that gets brought up when discussing the talent gap between Notre Dame and the big three of Ohio State, Clemson, and Alabama. Why wouldn’t it be with the players that those programs have thrown out at the position?
The thought is that to compete with them, Notre Dame has to have the same kind of elite talent at the position. And there’s no disputing that getting better at receiver and in the passing game in general is important to be able to beat those teams.
That doesn’t change that Notre Dame still has to cover thoser receivers, though. As has been shown in recent years, it’s about more than winning the line of scrimmage in those games to stop those teams from scoring. A lot of being able to hold the points down in those games comes down to corner play.
Exhibit A is what happened when Julian Love went down against Clemson in the the 2018 Cotton Bowl. When Love was in the game that day, Trevor Lawrence averaged 4.1 yards per attempt and no touchdowns. When Love was out, Lawrence averaged 15.3 YPA and threw for three touchdowns.
Having great cornerback play matters and that all starts with getting the right talent. And because of misses at the position in recent years, it’s become critically important for Notre Dame to land a few good ones in the 2022 recruiting cycle.
Saying they need to add to the blue-chip ratio at the position is an understatement. The good news is that they are off to a good start in doing so with a commitment from 4-star Jaden Mickey. He’ll be taking his official visit this June as will four other cornerback targets who already have visits set.
One of them is Jayden Bellamy, a player I have ranked as a 4-star out of New Jersey. He is not a 4-star in the composite rankings, but his top schools are Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, and Oklahoma in addition to Notre Dame. Those schools are after him for a reason.
Though he plays safety for Bergen Catholic, his man coverage skills are evident and he’s someone who consistently wins at the catch point. Ball production matters and he produces.
If Nikai Martinez was bigger, he’d probably be ranked quite a bit higher. Still a 4-star prospect, he’s a smooth athlete with efficient feet and good instincts. I think he projects to play the field corner and potentially the nickel. Notre Dame could always use more options at those two spots.
Benjamin Morrison has the kind of athletic traits any coach would want at the corner position. A composite 4-star prospect with big time speed, I want to see him get his hands on the football more often, but I love how physical he is as a tackler and in block destruction.
I have no idea why Devin Moore is so underrated by the other services. The film doesn’t lie, though. This kid is a baller. He could potentially play anywhere in the secondary and be great, but the way he tracks the deep ball and his ability to mirror in man is why his potential is so exciting at corner.
If Notre Dame can come out of the summer with two of these players committed to go along with Mickey, they’d be in really good shape at the cornerback position this cycle.