| Hurd Sees Big Picture | ||||
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 Toney Hurd’s mother was worried that her son didn’t see the big picture.As the college football scholarships started rolling in for the 5-foot-10, 178-pound cornerback from Missouri City, Texas, she often wondered what factors Hurd would take into consideration when making his decision. “She knew I had offers from almost every big school, and the thing she was worried about was that I was going to go to a school just for football and not worry about academics,” Hurd explained. Turns out, Hurd and his mother were on the same page without even talking about it. “Academics were very important to me,” the ESPN top-150 recruit and future Under Armour All-American stated. It was also the number one reason why Hurd decided to verbally commit to Notre Dame. On Tuesday of this week, Hurd told Irish Sports Daily that he verbally committed to Notre Dame, choosing the Irish over Florida State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Auburn and Ole Miss. The Marshall High standout also held full rides from Oklahoma, Tennessee, California and several others. “I know the academic numbers talk, and among other schools there is no comparison,” the four-star Hurd said. He becomes the 18th player to verbally commit to Notre Dame in the class-of-2010, and the third cornerback, joining Florida products Lo Wood and Spencer Boyd. “After that, the tradition. No matter how the win-loss column looks, they have a great support system with the fans and the community. “Then I would have to say the coaching staff. They have great coaches and they are great men. I think coach (Corwin) Brown is a guy I can mold myself after and be similar to how he is. He’s just a great individual.” Brown was by Hurd’s school on Friday, where he made his verbal commitment official. As a junior, Hurd had 87 tackles, five interceptions and 16 pass breakups. So far this fall, he leads the district in interceptions with four. He also leads his team in tackles, has two defensive touchdowns, a forced fumble and 14 pass breakups. ESPNU's Scouts Inc. ranks Hurd as the 10th-best cornerback prospect in the country. Hurd took an official visit to South Bend for the Michigan State game. It was his first time on the Irish campus. “Before I went up there, I talked to my mother and mentioned Notre Dame to her, and she was instantly ecstatic,” Hurd said. “I felt Notre Dame had a great combination of both football and academics. That’s what swayed me towards Notre Dame.” Hurd said the Irish coaching staff is also “ecstatic.” “They were basically telling me I have a chance to come in and compete early, and they’re looking forward to getting to know me better as a person. I’m just ready to get it going. I’m ready to get on campus and just start working out and becoming a part of the Fighting Irish.” |
| Last Updated ( Friday, 30 October 2009 13:04 ) |