What makes a down cycle at a certain position? I was curious because you often hear that one position or another are strong or weak for the year but we usually don’t see a lot of talk about the numbers behind things. So, let’s talk about some of them.

So far we’ve covered the offensive side of the ball as well as the defensive linemen and linebackers. Today, we’ll begin taking a look at the back end of the defense with cornerbacks and safeties.

Note: I compiled these numbers in mid-May right before 247 added the On3 rankings into their Composite. So, the numbers in these articles will be a little off compared to the live rankings you can now research. I am only looking at blue-chip recruits with their Composite scores.

We’ll be looking at the mean, median, and percent of blue-chips at each position between 2023 and 2022, with a comparison to the 2010 cycle, as well.

247 Composite scores used throughout. 

CORNER

Mean
2023: 0.9325
2022: 0.9401
2010: 0.9287

Median
2023: 0.9298
2022: 0.9372
2010: 0.9282

Blue-Chip Percent
2023: 10.0%
2022: 9.89%
2010: 7.20%

No other position has increased in influence more than corner over the last 10-15 years, I believe. Almost a 3% jump in blue-chip rate from 2010 compared to 2023 doesn’t surprise me at all. No doubt, the 2022 cycle was very strong at corner. It featured 7 players who were 5-stars (2 more than 2023 currently) and that includes the country’s no. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter.

Notre Dame needed a big 2023 cycle coming off the disappointment of 2022 with a trio of corners signed but no one within the top 200 overall. Being able to pick up Christian Gray (0.9543) and Micah Bell (0.9451) was a much-needed turnaround.

It’s important to note that receiver typically grabs the headlines for talent needed these days in South Bend. However, cornerback remains a massive uphill battle. To date, Gary Gray (0.9787, 81st top corner since 2000) remains the only corner from Notre Dame to feature on the all-time list at this position. Moreover, the top 10 corners for 2023 come from the following states: Florida, Alabama (3), Texas (4), Washington, and Missouri.

Notre Dame is hoping to sign the only player (Christian Gray) from the closest state to South Bend on that list.

SAFETY

Mean
2023: 0.9270
2022: 0.9283
2010: 0.9342

Median
2023: 0.9249
2022: 0.9142
2010: 0.9289

Blue-Chip Percent
2023: 8.42%
2022: 8.59%
2010: 8.06%

The 2023 cycle would’ve been extremely strong if Sonny Styles didn’t reclassify. He is the no. 12 overall player for 2022 and is preparing for his first season at Ohio State this fall. Notre Dame missed out on the no. 12 overall player in 2023 as safety Caleb Downs picked Alabama last week.

Nevertheless, these numbers are pretty steady. It was sad that Notre Dame couldn’t take advantage of Kyle Hamilton’s spotlight while missing out on Iowa-bound Xavier Nwankpa. As a result, no safeties were signed by the Irish. Not ideal!

Needless to say, Notre Dame absolutely has to hang on to Peyton Bowen (0.9770) as he’s just slightly lower rated than Nwankpa last year in the Composite score but a couple spots higher in the overall player rankings.