Notre Dame and Mike Mickens circled safety Nicholas Reddish as a priority target early last year when he was offered on Pot of Gold day. Despite an injury that made him miss almost all of his junior season, he remained a priority for Notre Dame and it led to him committing to the Irish today.
A multi-sport athlete (baseball) with a nose for the football, Reddish might end up being a steal for the Irish as one of the more under the radar prospects in their 2026 recruiting class.
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185
Projected Position: Safety/nickel
ISD Grade: 89 (3-star)
National Average Grade: 88.3 (4-star)
What he does best:
Reddish is a physical, wrap tackler who will hit through a defender on contact. He’ll deliver a pop.
He displays terrific route recognition and that helps him be super productive finding the football. He had four interceptions and 10 pass breakups as a sophomore.
He’s comfortable playing multiple spots and can mix it up near the line of scrimmage, match up in the slot, or get downhill from deep as a run defender.
It’s easy to see he is an intelligent player. He plays with good eye discipline and a lot of plays he makes start with him being assignment sound.
What he needs to improve:
His physical development is what I’m monitoring the most with him as a senior due to him missing most of the season as a junior. I’d like to see a bigger, faster version of what we saw from him as a sophomore.
What’s his ceiling?
There’s a whole heck of a lot to like about him as a football player. I think he has the toughness, intelligence, and overall ability to develop into a good nickel defender in addition to playing safety.
The only reason why I don’t have him as a 4-star prospect is because he didn’t pop for me as an elite athlete and since he didn’t have any verified testing, that is a sticking point for me until I see his senior film. But if he continues to be as productive as he was and I see what I’m expecting to with his physical development, then he’ll have a blue-chip grade before the end of the process.
He reminds me quite a bit of current Notre Dame freshman Cree Thomas and if we’re dipping back into the past for a comparison, I see a lot of Matthias Farley in Reddish’s game. Farley was one of the more underappreciated Notre Dame defenders in recent memory and a multi-year starter at safety and nickel. He had double digit havoc plays as a nickel in 2014 and though he never wowed anyone with his physical traits, he had a much better college career than some other flashier defensive backs that were his teammates. He also played eight years in the NFL after Notre Dame.
Who he could be:
Former Notre Dame safety/nickel Matthias Farley
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