2018 Recruiting: Secondary Grades

CB Houston Griffith

18S Average: 91

Brendan: 92

Doesn’t have the top-end speed of a five-star CB prospect, but he has everything else. Suffers from Carlos Beltran Disease – so fluid athletically that it feels like he’s moving slower than he is. Equally comfortable in man or zone coverage. Can press, flip, and run with just about anyone. Physical in run support. Excellent ball skills. Locked down elite WRs at the Opening. Could be a plus corner or an elite free safety for Notre Dame. Early enrollment will give him a chance to contribute immediately.

Eric: 90

Nice physicality. I’m not sure his pure athleticism is there for someone ranked so highly which is a little concerning. He’s above average sized for a corner, which in combination with my last sentence, is probably why many see him as a safety long-term. I tend to think he’s a little overrated but should be a very good defensive back for the Irish.

Jaden: 91

To me, Griffith will hopefully be Mr. Julian Love 2.0. Like Love, Griffith may not have truly elite athleticism, but he will make up for it with instinct and technique. Also like Love, I think we could see Houston excel at cornerback while also recognizing that he’d make a hell of a safety. Griffith will provide versatility to the defensive backfield that will hopefully make him an early contributor. Not to mention, Griffith comes from IMG and is used to being a winner. Bring that culture on to South Bend, Houston.

Tyler: 91

Griffith has everything you’d want to see in a corner — except elite speed. He’s got fluid athleticism, he’s physical, he’s a smart player. He’s played against the best of the best on the field in high school and at summer camps — and looked really good doing it. His potential long-term may be higher at free safety, but he’ll likely make a damn good corner for ND as well if that’s where he ends up. He’ll be an immediate contributor in the secondary.

CB Noah Boykin

18S Average: 85.8

Brendan: 88

Super physical in coverage and run support. Absolutely fearless, owns the ball in the air. Exceptional agility lets him mirror receivers with ease. Long frame helps him cover bigger receivers. Needs to hone man technique rather than relying on athleticism to overpower or recover, should be easily coachable. Swagger for days – Shane Walton 2.0. Give me a secondary full of these guys and nobody will complete a pass. Huge upside.

Eric: 83

Boykin is a cerebral player with very good instincts for a defensive back. He’s pretty good with the ball in his hands on special teams and when he creates a turnover. I have a feeling he’ll be a very good student of the game at corner. His height is enticing but at a relatively low weight he doesn’t display outstanding foot movement and speed. It might be a lot to ask for him to put on 30 pounds and play safety but I think he could have quite the future in the back end of the defense. As a corner, I like him but I do think his ceiling is a bit limited.

Jaden: 86

Boykin made a lot of Irish fans happy on Wednesday when he surprisingly picked up the Notre Dame hat. He joins what was already a very solid cornerback class, and Boykin may have the highest upside of them all. He has great length and brings a winning attitude to the field. He doesn’t look like a burner, but he has good stride and is probably ahead of the curve in terms of technique. Also may have a leg up in run defense compared to some of the other corners in the class.

Tyler: 86

Really good athlete, plays very flluidly. Not a burner, but fast enough. Has great size and length for a CB. Seems to rely a lot on his athleticism at this point, which is normal for D1 athletes in highschool. Possesses a lot of physical tools that will help him be successful at the level. Probably not as college-ready as Brown is at this point, but his athleticism probably gives him a higher ceiling. Plays with a bit of an attitude, which is something we need more of in the secondary right now.

CB Tariq Bracy

18S Average: 85.0

Brendan: 84

One of the best athletes in this class. Natural ballhawk – great aggressiveness and timing on contested balls. Did everything for HS team, which got them a state title but hurt his defensive development. Will need a lot of time to work on technique. Development risk brings this grade down a bit; if he figures it out, though, he could be excellent. Intuitive runner who’s too small for running back but could also see time as a punt returner eventually.

Eric: 87

This must be the 5th straight year of my dark horse player from the class being a defensive back because here we go again. I love his athleticism on both sides of the ball and that he could play either way. He doesn’t have super blazing speed in the open field which I think limits his ceiling as a recruit. His burst is phenomenal, though. One of my favorites in this class and someone I’d remember even if he doesn’t make an impact in 2018.

Jaden: 85

The thing that stands out in his film is the elusiveness, lateral agility, and burst. Especially on offense, he gets in and out of breaks through traffic with ease. On defense, this allows him to break on balls and will hopefully lead to some touchdowns going the other way at the college level. My biggest concern will be his physicallity from the corner position. Can he come up and tackle or get off blocks consistently? Time will tell. He has the athleticism to be a true baller, though.

Tyler: 84

Bracy has a ton of potential at CB, but he’s probably a couple of years away from making any real impact. He’s a very good athlete, he’s just very raw at this point and doesn’t have the polish to see the field in 2018. He’ll probably take a redshirt and try to work his way into the rotation in 2019. If he develops, the Irish will have gotten a very good player here.

CB DJ Brown

18S Average: 84.3

Brendan: 86

Won’t win any combine medals but has more than enough athleticism to get the job done. Similar to Julian Love, smart player who shows ability to read QBs and WRs that helps him play faster than he is. Uses long frame (6’1″+) well to disrupt the receiver. Needs to work on press coverage. Good to very good in run support, enjoys the physicality. Underrated.

Eric: 80

A glider with nice length. Seems to move effortlessly and changes directions really well. Even though these late pick-ups don’t tend to work out Brown is the type of athlete you want on the roster. He’s long and will have the chance to develop behind some other really good upperclassmen corners.

Jaden: 84 

Another good cornerback prospect. There were about 100 near pick-6’s in his film where he made a great break on the ball. He looks a little more technically advanced than Bracy, but likely a little less athletic. DJ plays the position incredibly naturally and exudes a ton of confidence. He does a great job of passing off receivers in zone coverage and baiting QB’s into making throws. Not much wasted motion.

Tyler: 87

A very good late pick-up by the staff. His athleticism won’t wow anyone. But what he lacks in pure athleticism, he makes up for in polish, instincts, and ability to break on the football. A very smart player who did a great job in high school reading the quarterback and anticipating where he was going with the football. Those traits will give him a decent chance to see the field as early as 2018 in a limited capacity.

CB Joe Wilkins

18S Average: 82.3

Brendan: 84

Two-way star who excelled on both sides of the ball. Physical defender who will get up in a receiver’s face or lay some wood in run support. Great ball skills. Has the frame (verified 6-1/180) to cover bigger receivers. An excellent athlete who plays football right now, but can be exceptional if he hones his technique. Will start at CB but could end up at WR if needed.

Eric: 80

Nice combination of size and athleticism. Looks like he could fill out physically and add quite a bit of weight. Right now, looks a lot more like a wideout. In 18 months Wilkins could be a safety. Good length but maybe not quite the fantastic burst and agility to play corner at his height.

Jaden: 83

I’m rating Wilkins just slightly below Bracy and Brown. I really like his frame and think he strides well for a corner, but I like Bracy’s athleticism and Brown’s instincts just a little more. With that being said, Wilkins has a ton of upside and was a great pickup. Todd Lyght should be ecstatic about the cornerbacks he has coming in this season, especially after last cycle’s debacle.

Tyler: 82

Solid athlete, versatile football player. Could end up at either WR, CB, or FS. Right now his best position is probably WR, but he’ll get his shot at corner at Notre Dame. Very raw player on the defensive side of the ball, but he’s got great length for a corner and plenty of athleticism to be successful in the defensive backfield.

S Derrik Allen

18S Average: 91.3

Brendan: 93

The kind of athlete Notre Dame rarely gets at safety. Looked rusty during Army practices, but it was his first action since breaking his hand during his season. Ballhawk who intuitively reads the action in front of him and disrupts it. Big, physical kid who could grow into a linebacker. Not an early enrollee but will still push for a starting role immediately. A godsend for the Irish depth chart.

Eric: 91

Smart player, I like that he plays a lot of safety in high school instead of being a glorified outside linebacker pass rusher. He doesn’t look like a ridiculously high ceiling player to me. He adeptly breaks on the ball and shows really good physicality but isn’t a “wow” athlete. Still much to be excited about down the road and someone who is good enough to start for 3 years.

Jaden: 91

A long-time commit who is a big, athletic body at the safety position. Allen is a Georgia native with every offer imaginable on the table. After another year of below average safety play, Allen gives Irish fans an optimistic outlook for future years. It’s fun to imagine a duo of him and Gillman roaming at safety for a couple years. There is potential that Allen could grow into a linebacker, but regardless, he will make a positive impact somehwere on the Notre Dame defense.

Tyler: 90

Another kid that is physically ready to contribute, even at strong safety. He’s big, he’s strong, he breaks well on the ball. He’ll have an excellent shot at cracking the two-deep despite not being an early enrollee (although maybe that’s saying more about what we already have at safety than anything else). Might ultimately end up somewhere like Rover if he continues to grow but I think he’ll be a very good strong safety as well.

S Paul Moala

18S Average: 79.0

Brendan: 81

Earned offer by running a hand-timed 4.4 40 at Irish Invasion. Returned a punt for a TD in the Polynesian Bowl. Has the frame to get bigger and could end up at Rover or even Buck. Diagnoses and comes downhill quickly on run plays. Ultra-sound tackler. Has potential, but can he find a home on the depth chart?

Eric: 78

One of those prospects who doesn’t look like he’s anything special but keeps making plays. He’s going to be really tough to evaluate. I can see him being a special teams player his entire career. I can also see him stubbornly always in the mix at safety. A few years ago I think he’d have a shot to play with the poor depth. Right now, it’s an up-hill climb.

Jaden: 79

Kind of a late bloomer who took the Irish Invasion by storm this past summer. As a local kid, he’s absolutely enough of a playmaker to be a take. He performed very well at the Polynesian Bowl and is a physical, downhill presence. He projects as a strong safety or Rover, but the question remains if he will get passed up by more athletic bodies down the road.

Tyler: 78

Good enough athleticism to play strong safety at the college level, but might keep filling out and grow out of the position. And he’s a bt short to play linebacker. He’s effective in run support, but coverage ability is a bit of a question mark. Good pickup, but I don’t know if he’ll ever be a guy that’s consistently in the two-deep.