One of the priorities for the class of 2013 will cornerback. Several intriguing prospects will be a part of Notre Dame's search for cornerback talent.
Just like with the article discussing quarterback and running back recruiting, the following recruits may or may not end up being priorities for the Irish. It's early in the recruiting cycle; today marks one day, in fact, towards the next national signing day. With that said, here are a few interesting notes about the cornerbacks on the 2012 roster.
Cornerback: Signing Tee Shepard should not be discounted one bit. He's a very special talent. He's the rare skill position player that should honestly set his goal for leaving Notre Dame for the National Football League after year three. He should start next season at some point. The bigger question comes from the young players beyond Shepard. Most important will be Bennett Jackson. The New Jersey product provides the length at 6-0, 190-pounds to fit in well with the Irish defensive scheme, and he provides the physicality also needed to be a good run defender. Notre Dame needs two cornerbacks talented enough to turn loose the plethora of defensive line talent available. The best option appears to be Jackson. He will have competition, however, and that comes from two players that just finished their freshmen seasons at Notre Dame. Josh Atkinson and Jalen Brown also provide the height to play in the Notre Dame scheme at 6-0 and 6-1 respectively. Both players need to get stronger to be every down players, but height cannot be taught. At least one of the sophomores to be need to be ready for major minutes next fall. The other option will be Lo Wood. The junior needs to do well this spring and fall or be passed by the youngsters. Yes, only four cornerbacks on the roster for 2012. That's horrible depth. Six are needed, at least, to provide a normal cornerback depth chart.
It could be a challenge for the Irish coaching staff to land talented cornerbacks within the class of 2013 if a true freshman and a sophomore or redshirt freshman are the starters. Unfortunately, it appears to be a very bad year for top-notch cornerbacks in the Midwest. Notre Dame will once again fight the distance factor to land top talent. Should be interesting.
Need: 2-3.
John Marvin, 6-0, 185, Fort Walton Beach, FL
Chris Hawkins, 6-0, 170, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Blake McClain, 6-0, 185, Winter Park, FL
Tatum Taylor, 5-10, 165, Seattle, WA (O'Dea)
Tre Bell, 5-11, 165, Jersey City, NJ (St. Peter's Prep)
Kendall Fuller, 6-0, 185, Olney, MD (Our Lady of Good Counsel)
Mackenzie Alexander, 5-11, 175, Immokalee, FL
Brian Walker, 5-11, 185, Charlotte, NC (Mallard Creek)
Vernon Hargreaves, 5-10, 180, Tampa, FL (Wharton)
Eli Woodard, 6-0, 170, Voorhees, NJ (Eastern)
Final Thoughts: Notre Dame needs to get out of the gate fast by landing at least one cornerback by the end of summer. Scrambling at the end of the recruiting cycle would be too dicey. Additionally, look for a few names from Texas to pop up.
