Coach | 2024 Notre Dame S Target Vaboue Toure Is "Special"
After getting one talented safety from New Jersey’s Irvington High School commit to Notre Dame, the Irish are chasing another.
Last month, Notre Dame extended an offer to 2024 safety Vaboue Toure. The talented sophomore patrols Irvington’s backend along with 2023 safety Adon Shuler, who committed to Notre Dame last summer.
Toure and Shuler anchored a secondary that helped Irvington capture a state title in the fall.
“He's an elite kid,” Irvington High School head coach Smoke Pierre says of Toure. “I think his biggest strength is his size. He's about 6-1 and 195 pounds now.
“His attitude and demeanor for the game is a straight business approach. He triggers well at the point of attack. He's still young. We're still curious to see how big he's going to get. I think that's what makes him super intriguing. He's a super tough kid.”
Pierre is also quick to note Toure comes from a football family.
“His cousin is playing for the Colts right now,” the coach says. “His older brother is starting at Rutgers University. He has a cousin who's at Nebraska and another cousin who's at Temple. He's getting knowledge every day from all of these individuals who are playing the same side of the ball as him and he enjoys football.
“I think that's what makes him special and he's big and strong and fast right now to be only 15 years old.”
Toure received the offer during a FaceTime call with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and safeties coach Chris O’Leary.
“I think he appreciated it,” Pierre says. “I think he understood the seriousness of it, especially coming from Coach Freeman. I think he understood it's a prestigious school. He's a humble kid, so I think everything that comes across his way, he's extremely blessed about it.”
The opportunity to team up with Shuler on the next level is certainly an intriguing one.
“They start on the backend together, so I think it helps a lot of stuff,” says Pierre. “I think those guys being close and being vocal guys on the backend and both playing safety together and being coached hard together at the same time, I think that helps.”
Toure’s offer sheet also includes schools like Rutgers, Pitt, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Duke and Ole Miss among others. He’s also receiving plenty of interest from additional programs.
“Alabama's in on him,” says Pierre. “Florida's in on him. There are a lot of schools that have been on him heavy, Kentucky as well. He's going to be a special kid in that '24 class.”
Pierre expects Toure and his other players to hit the road and do unofficial visits in the coming months, including a trip to South Bend.
“I think we're going try to get out there this spring with Adon and those guys. He'll get out there and try to see some things during the spring, try to travel around the month of March and April and get to some places.”