Film Don't Lie: Tariq Bracy
It wasn’t long ago that Notre Dame fans wondered if they would ever land a cornerback commitment. Oh, how things have changed for the Irish.
Tariq Bracy joins Joe Wilkins Jr. to give them a pair of commits at the position in the class and there is an expectation that more could be joining them very soon. The northern California product is a big time athlete that will need some time to develop at corner for the Irish, but his instincts and ball skills make him an exciting prospect with a very high ceiling at the next level.
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 175
Projected Position: Cornerback
ISD Grade: 90 (4 star)
National Average Grade: 88.3 (3 star)
What he does best:
Bracy has another gear when it comes to speed. That’s always a good thing for a projected cornerback to have. You see more of it when he’s on offense than on defense, though, mostly because he seems to be asked to play a bail technique often that doesn’t require him to kick it into another gear as a defender.
As a receiver or runner, he frequently runs away from defenders like he does here when he hits the turbo button and is gone.
The thing I like best about him at corner is that he has the instincts that help him make plenty of plays on the football. He sees the quarterback when playing zone and has a knack for jumping routes to pick the football off.
He’ll have to watch himself to not get sucked in by double moves, but that kind of recognition is special. It’s natural for him and perfect for what Mike Elko’s defense wants in a defender.
Bracy also has the attitude where the football belongs to him when it’s in the air. Whether it’s on offense or defense, he’s going to snag that football like he does here. It’s just a mentality that shines through when watching him.
His agility and change of direction are also exceptional, which is why he could project to play the nickel as a slot corner. He does a terrific job of dropping his hips and exploding to the football.
What he needs to work on:
Simply by looking at him on film, I would guess he is one of those listed as 6’0” in the program guys when he’s really closer to 5’10”. He also weighed in at 156 at Nike camp last spring so that 175 weight might not be all that accurate either. We’ll see exactly how big he is when he arrives on campus next summer.
He will need some time to get stronger and there are going to be questions about him as a tackler because of his lack of size. There is no senior year film publicly available either so where he is with that part of his game is an unknown.
Bracy makes up for his lack of size with great leaping ability, but he’ll also need to be a technician with his hands and feet to overcome it as well. Right now he is someone that can line up and win as an athlete by mirroring receivers. Eventually he will have to learn to be incredibly efficient on each rep with his technique. He has the ability to do so, but I didn’t see it all the time.
What’s his ceiling?
He has a chance to develop into a great corner for the Irish. I don’t see him as someone who will play from day one at Notre Dame, but could jump in the mix early in his career in the nickel before eventually becoming a starter on the outside.
Physically, I think he is a similar type of player to TCU’s Ranthony Texada, an All-Big 12 performer for the Horned Frogs this season that had 14 passes defensed. Texada is not the biggest guy, but plays bigger than his size and can run with just about every receiver in that conference that is filled with great ones.
There should be some healthy competition at the position for Notre Dame in the next few years. Bracy has the skills to rise up and become a high-level starter if he physically and technically develops like he should.