Cam Hart Is Ready To Prove He's An Elite Cornerback

Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart is recovered from his second career shoulder injury as he prepares for his final season in the Irish secondary

Fifth-year senior Cam Hart flew below the radar during Notre Dame’s spring practice period. It was an easy feat, considering the Fighting Irish cornerback was held out of all contact during the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery. Call that setback a mere flesh wound, because it had no tangible effect on Hart’s confidence as he prepares for his final season of his college career.

"I’m a first-round cornerback,” Hart said this spring when asked what he wants to show in his final season to prove his professional worth. "I mean, I feel like I've been slept on because of my injuries and because of who knows what, but I'm a first-round cornerback and I’ll show that, for sure.”

A left shoulder labrum tear kept him out of practice this spring. It’s his second shoulder injury in his first four college seasons. The first one was to his right shoulder as a freshman in 2019. Hart played three games that season before turning into a key reserve as a sophomore in Notre Dame’s 2020 College Football Playoff season.

While Hart sat out during all of the contact practice reps in March and April, he was able to benefit from the time around his teammates.

"Becoming a better leader,” Hart said of his number one spring accomplishing. "I had the opportunity to expand and understand the defense more. See it from a coach's perspective, see what they're implementing and see what they're coaching.”

As Notre Dame’s longest tenured cornerback, Hart has 36 total games under his belt over the past four seasons. All but three of them have been played with Mike Mickens as his position coach. Mickens has overhauled the unit in his first three-plus seasons with the culture he has built since arriving from Cincinnati.

"First is just effort and attitude, essentially,” Hart began when asked about Mickens’ cornerback culture. "We want to be the group on the field that's known for giving great effort every play. We never want to get passed up on film. We never want to see anyone running to the ball faster than us, getting to the ball faster than us or playing harder than us. Secondly is just playing fast — knowing what you have to do, knowing your job, knowing what the receiver’s going to do, knowing what the offense is trying to do us, knowing down and distance and just executing.

"Then thirdly, just being violent,” Hart continued. "I mean, in space. You have to get off blocks. You have to — especially in boundary — get off tight ends. You have to be first to tackle. You have to set the edge and things of that sort. So, he implements playing great and playing fast. That's something that each of us have our own personal connection with. That's why I think he does a good job of connecting with us on a personal level individually, because we can understand that whatever it means to us.”

With 20 starts over the last two seasons under his belt, Hart is now a fixture in Mickens’ secondary, but he started his Irish career as a wide receiver recruit. His high school experience as a defensive back made him a defensive fit and he soon made the move to that side of the ball.

"I knew it was in the conversation for me to end up there,” Hart said of his eventual move to defense. "I just took it day by day. I always would joke around and say let me get a rep here, let me get a rep there, but they would never do it. So, I just took it day by day at receiver and then whatever happened.”

Hart never registered an offensive statistic before his jump to cornerback, but he has had his share of ‘what if’ moments, wondering what his career would have looked like if he had stayed on offense.

"I think about it all the time,” Hart explained. “Even now, I joke with (wide receiver) Coach (Chansi) Stuckey, 'Let me get a rep here, let me get a rep there.’ Just jokes. I don't regret anything that's happened. I'm happy with my career here. I love playing my position. That’s how it is.”

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