Hopefully you enjoyed our overview of the 2021 Notre Dame recruiting class with recruit grades and some thoughts on the class. We started a deeper dive on each position group with the offensive backfield (and shoehorned the kicker into it), then we moved on to the guys whose main job is to catch the damn ball, then checked out the hogs up front. Recently we moved over to the defensive side of the ball to review the front seven, and now we (mercifully?) close out the series with a look at the defensive backfield.

As a reminder, here’s our standard grading scale for this exercise:

95-100: Truly elite prospect with All-American potential
90-94: Multi-year starter with All-conference level potential
85-89: Eventual starter with chance to play as underclassman
80-84: Raw prospect with decent potential but a couple years away from impact
75-79: Likely a backup
70-74: Reach by the coaching staff

Signees

.8992 86 Philip Riley Valrico, FL 6-0/195 CB * * * * *
.8871 87 Khari Gee Atlanta, GA 6-3/185 S * * * * *
.8722 86 Ryan Barnes Gaithersburg, MD 6-2/185 CB * * * * *
.8721 85 Chance Tucker Encino, CA 6-1/180 CB * * * * *
.8721 81 Justin Walters Bolingbrook, IL 6-2/185 S * * * * *
.8647 83 JoJo Johnson Merrillville, IN 5-11/180 CB * * * * *

CB Philip Riley 

18S Average: 86.3

Brendan: 89

If Riley had elite speed I’d grade him a few points higher; that’s really the only thing to knock him on. He’s a fluid cover guy with an excellent compete level and a nose for the ball. I love how his Hudl highlight reel was done – it points out quality WRs he went against and shows him in coverage when the ball didn’t come his way. Take notes, people! Everything there shows very positive signs for his future. I have him as the earliest contributor in this class just based on need, as corner is the thinnest spot on the team right now. Down the road I think he could become a quality starter.

Eric: 83

Comfortable in press coverage at the prep level. Decent size with long arms which should help him continue to play physical in college. Seems willing to get his nose dirty which can be half the battle for corners when it comes to tackling. Riley shows pretty good speed coming down hill or breaking on the ball. His feet are okay in coverage, and receivers occasionally get a step on him. I could see him transitioning to safety down the line which has been talked about since he committed, twice!

Tyler: 87

He plays physical and looks comfortable in man coverage. On film it will occasionally look like maybe the receiver has enough separation to make a catch, and then you blink and Riley’s in blanket coverage. Does a good job of shedding blocks and providing support in the run game and defending screens. Has the positional flexibility to play either boundary corner or safety.

S Khari Gee

18S Average: 87.3

Brendan: 87

Gee jumped in the Irish boat, flipping from LSU, on the final day of the early signing period. He was the sixth defensive back in the class, which gives you some sense of how badly the staff wants to build depth in the secondary. His eventual position might be the next level down, though, at rover/sam/whatever; he has a good frame already and could end up around 20 pounds heavier than he is now. He has good speed and change of direction and lowers the boom when he tackles; wherever he plays I think he’ll be fun to watch.

Eric: 87

Gee’s length just jumps right out when you look at him play football. He has an excellent first step and suddenness to his game which makes him potent as a tackler near the line of scrimmage. I really like his speed in combination with a solid toughness. He’s not a huge hitter but he’s more than willing to get his nose dirty. Can he ultimately stick at safety? Maybe he stays a wiry athlete like Kyle Hamilton? If not, he’s likely to add considerable weight and be an excellent Rover prospect.

Tyler: 88

This is a physical, rangy kid with plus size and athleticism. He plays with an edge and decisiveness that should prove to be a huge asset to the Notre Dame secondary. Looks comfortable in zone coverage and VERY comfortable in run support. Not a ton of film with him in man coverage, which isn’t necessarily a huge deal for a safety. With his length you have to wonder if he fills out and ends up playing rover at some point down the line. Either way this is a really good late pickup for the Irish. 

CB Ryan Barnes

18S Average: 86.3

Brendan: 90

My favorite defensive player in this class. He’s a middle-class guy’s Kyle Hamilton (fight me!). He’s long, fast, and smooth. His tackling is aggressive as hell, which makes him very effective at defeating blocks. He tracks the ball very well in the air and makes 50/50 balls something less than that. He’s a corner now but I think ultimately he’ll end up at free safety, and be a pretty good one. And maybe my favorite part of his game is that he has attitude to spare – he has some dog in him, as the kids say. That mentality roving around the Irish defensive backfield is always welcome. Barnes is up to a solid 195 pounds and is an early enrollee, so may be able to contribute early.

Eric: 84

I don’t see a lot of pure corner skills from this tape. If he’s anywhere near his listed 6’2” I see him being a safety in college. Barnes is definitely physical and plays with an edge to his game. In fact, he comes down hill really well. Everything about his game screams safety to me. He’s one of the more intriguing prospects to me, though. I can see him struggling at corner or being a fantastic safety.

Tyler: 85

Has the positional flexibility to play either boundary CB or safety. Might be better suited for free safety, but that will probably depend on his speed. It would have been great if we could have gotten a verified 40 time at a camp this summer, but COVID erased that possibility. His HUDL page says he runs a 4.58 but that’s probably hand-timed, so who knows how accurate it is? He plays physical, looks comfortable in press coverage. Great length.

CB Chance Tucker

18S Average: 85.0

Brendan: 87

Just like Buchner, Aupiu, and Schweitzer, Tucker is a little behind the eight ball due to the loss of his senior season to California’s COVID measures. I think Tucker would’ve blown up had he been able to hit the camp circuit and put a senior tape together. His junior film shows outstanding fluidity in coverage, which allows him to adjust easily to routes and even stymie double moves with little apparent effort. Not surprisingly, since he also played WR, he also tracks the ball in the air really well and knows what to do with it when he gets it. He’s a track guy too; just before the pandemic hit, he ran his first-ever 100M and logged a 10.97 into a light headwind. At the time he thought he could get that down to 10.7, which is reasonable. How he adjusts to the lost year is probably the biggest question mark.

Eric: 83

I like his ball skills, a lot. Tucker looks adept at press coverage and can turn his hips quickly to run with receivers without losing his ability to make a play on the ball. His tackling is pretty good for his size. He’ll have to get bigger and stronger early in his career to see the field. He’s a solid prospect with a good ceiling to me.

Tyler: 85

Tucker has the highest potential of all the the DBs in this class, in my opinion. He just looks so comfortable in coverage and moves with such fluidity. His ball skills are great. Really wish his senior season had been played already so we could see how he’s grown physically over the past year.

S Justin Walters

18S Average: 81.0

Brendan: 82

I like Walters but I think he’s going to have a hard time shaking the tweener tag. Right now he’s either a safety that’s big but a little slow, or a linebacker who’s fast but a little small. He has a good frame and maybe could add some weight without slowing down; I think he’ll have to do that to find a slot on the field. He closes ground really well, for sure – one of the best plays on his junior highlight reel was a chasedown of current Michigan speedster AJ Henning – and hits. I don’t see the level of athleticism to suggest a super high ceiling, but he could become a contributor.

Eric: 81

This guy is way more physical than all of the other defensive backs in Notre Dame’s class. I’m shocked to see him listed at only 175 pounds with his height. It doesn’t make sense. I think he could really flourish with his skill-set as an inside linebacker but I’m not sure he will be able to pack on 45 to 50 pounds and be the same athlete. He reminds me a lot of D.J. Morgan coming out of high school. I’m hoping Walters can be an effective strong safety and carve out a role as a tough in the box tackler.

Tyler: 80

Man, he is a headhunter. Most of his highlight clips are of him lining up deep center field, quickly diagnosing where the ball is going, and flying to it — occasionally decking a receiver over the middle of the field in the process. He’s a good tackler, takes good angles to the football. His ball skills are a mystery, though. You don’t see them a ton in his highlight film.

CB JoJo Johnson

18S Average: 82.3

Brendan: 83

Johnson transferred to James Aldridge’s high school for his senior season because his former school wasn’t going to play. That tells you something about his passion for the game. Mike Mickens recruited him at Cincinnati and stayed focused on him at Notre Dame, which is interesting too. I think he has some potential – he’s legit fast, has some solid cover skills, and is a willing tackler. He played CB but he played a lot of WR in high school, so it may take a while for that ability to show at this level.

Eric: 82

A bit of a baby face hides a really muscular and bigger body than I was expecting to see. It’s hard not to compare him to TaRiq Bracy from a few cycles ago. Bracy was listed at 6’0” but is now 5’10” so Johnson may be under 5’10” if we’re being honest. I like his speed a lot and he seems like an incredible athlete who could play on either side of the ball. I like his skill-set to develop into a corner but he’s already so defined that I don’t see him being 190 pounds and able to always contain bigger receivers. If he was a little taller I’d really think about JoJo being the top corner prospect in this class.

Tyler: 82

I’m not sure he’s really his listed size, but man can he fly. Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had that kind of speed in the secondary. At the very least, he should be able to run with just about anybody. Good player but he’s the least likely of this defensive back haul to be ready to play early, in my opinion.