Tariq Bracy joined the 2018 Notre Dame bandwagon when he announced for the Irish today. The 6’0″, 170-pound Californian took an official visit for the USC game, and Notre Dame made a huge move for him on that trip. Area recruiter Brian Polian and position coach Todd Lyght were key in landing the raw but talented athlete.

Speaking of which – Bracy needs polish, but has has athleticism to spare. He’s an all-purpose monster for Milpitas High; on the downside, that’s taken some focus away from learning how to be a corner. On the upside… Here are some career numbers:

  • Over 3,400 rushing yards at 9.1 yards per carry and 41 touchdowns
  • Over 1,600 receiving yards at 20.2 yards per catch and 19 touchdowns
  • 15.8 yards per punt return, 22.2 yards per kick return, and 3 special teams touchdowns
  • 14 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 3 defensive touchdowns

The kid just does everything. Once he focuses on defense, he should be able to put that athleticism to good use in the secondary. He’s a quiet kid who didn’t do the camp circuit and didn’t reciprocate any interest beyond a handful of schools, which hurt his recruiting profile. Don’t be fooled though – Tariq Bracy has skills.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247 Composite — 3 star (.8843), #408 overall, #23 ATH, #50 in CA

247 Sports — 4 star (92 rating), #292 overall, #20 ATH, #45 in CA

Rivals — 3 star (5.7 rating), NR overall, #39 ATH, #65 in CA

ESPN — 3 star (78 rating), NR overall, #51 ATH, #59 in CA

Note: You may notice that Bracy’s Scout ranking is conspicuously absent. 247 and Scout merged a few months ago; they kept some things separate for a while, but just in the last couple of weeks they phased out the Scout rankings.

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame, Bracy holds offers from Boise State, Cal, Fresno State, Utah, and Washington State, and had drawn some interest (but no offer) from USC.

Highlights

Well… There isn’t much film available on Tariq Bracy – this video is his junior year highlight reel – and almost all of what there is shows him on offense. So there’s not a whole lot I can say about Bracy’s defensive ability, but there’s still plenty worth seeing here. Bracy shows plus speed, toughness, and balance and outstanding – not good, outstanding – lateral agility. That helps him make dramatic cuts without losing speed, which bodes well for his ability to flip his hips in coverage when he has to track a receiver. Check the two plays that start at the 5:13 mark; they’re a pretty good summary of the whole reel.

Impact

As we’ve hinted, Bracy will need some time to develop his craft. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to, but we can guarantee that it’ll take a while even if it all works out. Bracy and earlier commit Joe Wilkins are excellent upside prospects; they’re probably on the same track, bound for the rotation as juniors. If Bracy can get his technique down, he can be a special player.

Welcome to the Irish family, Tariq!