The depth chart at running back is looking a bit less scary now, as Georgia running back C’Borius Flemister (C’Bo for short) has decided to flip from Georgia Tech and commit to the Fighting Irish. The 5-11/200 pound athlete out of Zebulon’s Pike County High School is the second running back to sign with Notre Dame, following Jahmir Smith — who signed with the Irish during the early signing period and is now on campus as an early enrollee.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247 Sports — 3 star (86 rating), #721 overall, #40 RB, #73 in GA

Rivals — 3 star (5.5 rating), NR overall, NR position, NR in GA

ESPN — 3 star (73 rating), NR overall, #88 RB, #130 in GA

247 Sports Composite — 3 star (.8382), #1386 overall, #83 RB, #134 in GA

C’Bo is a guy who really took huge strides in his senior year. A lot of the lower rated players don’t get reevaluated late in the process by the recruiting services. 247 didn’t reevaluate C’Bo until late January, and Tom Loy had to specifically ask Barton Simmons to do it after seeing his senior film and realizing it needed to be done. I’m not sure when Rivals and ESPN last evaluated him.

Cohort

C’Bo chose the Irish over other offers from Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Georgia Southern, Air Force, Army, Navy, and others. Not a bunch of heavy hitters in his offer list, but watch his senior highlights and you’ll see why the Irish started to pursue him late in the process.

Highlights

Watch those highlights and tell me that kid is the 1,386th best player in the class of 2018. C’Bo runs with power and authority. He drives his leg through tackles, has excellent body control, and rarely goes down on first contact. He made great improvement from his junior year. Over the offseason he worked on his strength and conditioning, explosiveness, and speed — and it paid off. This past fall he rushed for over 2,400 yards and 35 touchdowns for the Pike County Pirates.

Impact

This was a much needed addition to the class, given the state of the current depth chart at running back. After Markese Stepp was denied admission, and with CJ Holmes and Deon McIntosh being dismissed from the team in January, the Irish were in a tough spot with only three scholarship running backs on the roster (a number which includes true freshman early enrollee Jahmir Smith). This adds much-needed depth to the roster, and a quality late addition to boot.

C’Bo will have a big opportunity to see the field early at ND. He will likely start out as RB4 on the depth chart in the summer since Jahmir Smith is a bit more polished right now and will have those extra spring practices under his belt. He should earn some valuable reps early, though, and I could see him adjusting to the college level fairly quickly.

 

Welcome to the Irish family, C’Bo!