CB TaRiq Bracy: 'Notre Dame is where I want to be at'

Brian Kelly’s departure to LSU led to a wild December and January around the Notre Dame football program. The Gug saw many announcements of coaches and players leaving or staying, but cornerback TaRiq Bracy made no such announcement. 

The California native admitted he did weigh his options, yet Bracy didn’t want to leave South Bend for year five. 

"I was graduating this spring and I just wanted to weigh all of my options,” stated Bracy. “Notre Dame is where I want to be at."

Bracy will play nickel in 2022, which he's excited about as it will showcase his whole game. 

"It shows my versatility, being able to guard receivers inside and out," said Bracy. 

Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens believes Notre Dame fans will see Bracy at a number of spots, but he can be a playmaker in the nickel. 

“He can play all three and he will play all three, for the most part,” stated Mickens. “If we happen to go out there, I trust him in that slot, usually when guys are dynamic guys, we want a dynamic guy that can help us take away that guy. That’s what he can do.” 

The 5-foot-10, 177-pounder has flashed his potential throughout the years and had a solid 2021 as Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens rebuilt his confidence. 

With confidence and experience in hand, Bracy feels the difference. 

"I got some years under my belt playing at this position, so I'm a lot more confident and I recognize a lot of the routes," explained Bracy. "It's been a lot better for me."

Mickens has also noticed Bracy take on a mature approach to his preparation. 

"TaRiq is growing on the field, off the field; he's having a great spring," Mickens explained. "He works at it, he comes in for extra meetings, he's studying film, he's maturing and you can tell he's playing faster now because of all the work that he does off the field and on the field. 

"He's always in the right spot and he's finding ways to make plays on the balls and that's what we want."

Bracy has even stepped into a leadership role in the Irish secondary as they are taking a lead by committee approach. 

"We've got a lot of leaders, myself, Cam (Hart) and C-Lew (Clarence Lewis)," stated Bracy. "We're just trying to get the young guys ready. It's really one big group. It's not one leader. Each of us have grown on this team and within our group."

Bracy has also found himself in the same boat as many of the upperclassmen as they are on their third defensive coordinator in three years with Al Golden's arrival. 

"Honestly, it's not really much of a difference," Bracy said. "There's just more stuff at the nickel position and just different coverages, but for the most part, it's about the same."

Golden's intensity is something Bracy has also enjoyed as he knows his new defensive coordinator understands the standard set by Clark Lea and Marcus Freeman. 

"All of us have had this standard," Bracy stated. "He had seen what we're doing and we see what he's doing and kind of mesh it all together."

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