Notre Dame Football Recruiting
Dream Class 2018: Defensive Back
January 2, 2017
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2017 recruiting isn’t done just yet, as National Signing Day is less than a month away, but it’s never too early to take a quick look at the 2018 class, which is deep with talent at multiple positions.
It’s always a fun time of the year to think of what a dream class scenario would be in each class. Today, we will take a look at three defensive backs that Notre Dame would love to have end up with in February of 2018.
Joshua Moore – Yoakum High School – Texas
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder is the most explosive player in the country. As noted in previous pieces, Moore could end up on either side of the football, but Notre Dame is recruiting him as a defensive back and he is more than down with it.
Moore has a rare combination of size, length and speed, which makes for an extremely high ceiling at cornerback. The five-star’s ability to break on the ball is something that separates good from great and Moore has that quality in his game.
It also hasn’t been a secret that Moore is being recruited hard by Todd Lyght and has heard from head coach Brian Kelly. In fact, Moore’s talent has made Lyght come out of his recruiting shell a little bit and the two sides talk very frequently.
Notre Dame’s commits have also started to reach out to Moore and he’s been receptive. Moore holds 50 offers, but did cut it to a Top 14 last week and Notre Dame made the list. I’d be shocked if the Irish weren’t in his final three and it will come down to when Moore makes it to campus.
Brendan Radley-Hiles – IMG Academy – Florida
The four-star cornerback will be a five-star by the time all is said and done, as he is just a football player. Radley-Hiles starred at Calabasas (Calif.) on offense and defense after transferring from Bishop Gorman, but will transfer to IMG Academy (Fla.) for his senior season.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder plays with an intensity and heart that is an uncommon. The kid gives a maximum effort on every play and you don’t see him take plays off. Radley-Hiles, much like Moore, could star at receiver if he wanted, but his physical nature and ability to turn and run, make cornerback an easy choice.
Notre Dame is a school the California native has talked about for months and has even set up two visits, but both fell through at the last second. The cancellations aren’t a reflection of interest, but just bad timing and unfortunate luck for Notre Dame.
Lyght also is recruiting Radley-Hiles hard and the cornerback even told us it was different than any other relationship he has right now. Another huge positive for Notre Dame is the fact that he is already friends with 2018 running back commit Markese Stepp and Stepp is making sure it’s known they want him in the class.
Radley-Hiles hasn’t really released a top group yet, but Notre Dame would make the cut at this point. The trick will be getting him on campus this spring or summer to set up for a big official visit.
Houston Griffith – IMG Academy – Florida
The Illinois native transferred to IMG Academy over the summer from Mount Carmel (Ill.). At 6-foot, 185 pounds, Griffith has the size and length to cause problems at cornerback with his physical style of play.
Notre Dame offered the four-star prospect early and have got him on campus multiple times including at Irish Invasion and for the Stanford game this fall. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him back on campus this spring with a few of his teammates.
Griffith played on the same 7-on-7 team with 2017 Notre Dame early enrollee Isaiah Robertson and the two have a very close relationship, so that could pay off down the line. Fellow 2017 early enrollee Robert Hainsey played with Griffith this past year and is constantly in his ear about Notre Dame.
This would be a huge win for Notre Dame, as Griffith has the Irish at the top along with Michigan and Ohio State. It would be a great thing for Notre Dame to land a top prospect from the “Midwest” that is considering the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
It’s an interesting dynamic at IMG, as several of these kids have development relationships with each other that goes beyond being teammates. All it could take is for one of them pop and you could see a domino effect to a school.
Tomorrow we will take a look at Linebackers.
It’s always a fun time of the year to think of what a dream class scenario would be in each class. Today, we will take a look at three defensive backs that Notre Dame would love to have end up with in February of 2018.
Joshua Moore – Yoakum High School – Texas
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder is the most explosive player in the country. As noted in previous pieces, Moore could end up on either side of the football, but Notre Dame is recruiting him as a defensive back and he is more than down with it.
Moore has a rare combination of size, length and speed, which makes for an extremely high ceiling at cornerback. The five-star’s ability to break on the ball is something that separates good from great and Moore has that quality in his game.
It also hasn’t been a secret that Moore is being recruited hard by Todd Lyght and has heard from head coach Brian Kelly. In fact, Moore’s talent has made Lyght come out of his recruiting shell a little bit and the two sides talk very frequently.
Notre Dame’s commits have also started to reach out to Moore and he’s been receptive. Moore holds 50 offers, but did cut it to a Top 14 last week and Notre Dame made the list. I’d be shocked if the Irish weren’t in his final three and it will come down to when Moore makes it to campus.
Brendan Radley-Hiles – IMG Academy – Florida
The four-star cornerback will be a five-star by the time all is said and done, as he is just a football player. Radley-Hiles starred at Calabasas (Calif.) on offense and defense after transferring from Bishop Gorman, but will transfer to IMG Academy (Fla.) for his senior season.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder plays with an intensity and heart that is an uncommon. The kid gives a maximum effort on every play and you don’t see him take plays off. Radley-Hiles, much like Moore, could star at receiver if he wanted, but his physical nature and ability to turn and run, make cornerback an easy choice.
Notre Dame is a school the California native has talked about for months and has even set up two visits, but both fell through at the last second. The cancellations aren’t a reflection of interest, but just bad timing and unfortunate luck for Notre Dame.
Lyght also is recruiting Radley-Hiles hard and the cornerback even told us it was different than any other relationship he has right now. Another huge positive for Notre Dame is the fact that he is already friends with 2018 running back commit Markese Stepp and Stepp is making sure it’s known they want him in the class.
Radley-Hiles hasn’t really released a top group yet, but Notre Dame would make the cut at this point. The trick will be getting him on campus this spring or summer to set up for a big official visit.
Houston Griffith – IMG Academy – Florida
The Illinois native transferred to IMG Academy over the summer from Mount Carmel (Ill.). At 6-foot, 185 pounds, Griffith has the size and length to cause problems at cornerback with his physical style of play.
Notre Dame offered the four-star prospect early and have got him on campus multiple times including at Irish Invasion and for the Stanford game this fall. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him back on campus this spring with a few of his teammates.
Griffith played on the same 7-on-7 team with 2017 Notre Dame early enrollee Isaiah Robertson and the two have a very close relationship, so that could pay off down the line. Fellow 2017 early enrollee Robert Hainsey played with Griffith this past year and is constantly in his ear about Notre Dame.
This would be a huge win for Notre Dame, as Griffith has the Irish at the top along with Michigan and Ohio State. It would be a great thing for Notre Dame to land a top prospect from the “Midwest” that is considering the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
It’s an interesting dynamic at IMG, as several of these kids have development relationships with each other that goes beyond being teammates. All it could take is for one of them pop and you could see a domino effect to a school.
Tomorrow we will take a look at Linebackers.
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