Notre Dame Season Preview: Irish Corners Should Be Outstanding
It wasn't that long ago that cornerback was one of the biggest question mark positions for Notre Dame. That has changed in a hurry as the Irish head into the 2023 season with a group of corners that is considered one of the nation's best.
There are still questions at the position, which is always true heading into fall camp, but expectations are extremely high for the Irish corners. In fact, an argument could be made that the cornerback spot is Notre Dame's best position group heading into the 2023 season.
Let's take a look at the Irish cornerbacks in our latest Notre Dame 2023 Season Preview series.
2023 ROSTER
A look at the career stats for the Notre Dame cornerbacks:
Clarence Lewis - 115 tackle, 4 tackles for loss, 15 break ups, 2 interceptions
Cam Hart - 70 tackles, 7 TFL, 13 break ups, 2 interceptions
Benjamin Morrison - 33 tackles, 1 TFL, 4 break ups, 6 interceptions
Jaden Mickey - 9 tackles
DYNAMIC DUO
Notre Dame enters the 2023 season with arguably the best cornerback duo in all of college football. At the very least Notre Dame's duo of senior Cam Hart and sophomore Benjamin Morrison is in the conversation for the best cover duo in the country.
Hart and Morrison allowed 44 completions for 536 yards, and a completion rate of just 46.3%. They allowed 12.2 yards per completion and 5.6 yards per attempt.
Alabama is considered to have the top corner tandem returning, and that duo of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold allowed 65 completions for 735 yards and a completion rate of 49.2%. They allowed 11.3 yards per completion and 5.6 yards per attempt.
The Irish duo allowed four touchdowns and picked off six passes, the Alabama duo allowed three touchdowns and picked off two passes.
There is work to be done for Hart and Morrison. After a freshman All-American campaign, Morrison needs to continue getting stronger and improve his ability to defend and stop the deep ball. Hart needs to play the ball better and be more consistent. If both can grow their games there is no doubt they'll be able to emerge as one of, if not the best cornerback tandems in college football.
Notre Dame will need that to happen when you look at the schedule. The Irish will face the nation's best receiving corps when Ohio State comes into town on September 23rd. Duke has a talented group of receivers, Louisville will throw the ball all over the field, NC State is adding a more pass-oriented attack, Clemson will have a talented pass attack and of course, the Irish will face the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and a talented group of USC wide receivers.
This duo thriving means defensive coordinator Al Golden can play even more man coverage, which allows him to turn up the heat with his pressure packages and front, knowing his corners can handle business.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Senior Clarence Lewis has played all over for Notre Dame the last three seasons. He was a starter at cornerback for the Notre Dame 2020 playoff team, he was a starter on the 2021 team and last year he was a key part of the cornerback rotation.
The biggest question I have for Lewis going into his senior season is where will he spend most of his time? He has spent time in the boundary, to the field and last season he got a lot of snaps in the slot as a nickel player.
Part of where Lewis spends his time could ultimately be determined by who steps up at other spots. Having a player with his experience and versatility is very important. He could easily slide into the starting lineup if there's an injury at three different positions. Notre Dame needs Lewis to do a better job protecting against the deep ball and be a more consistent tackler, but there's no doubt he'll be a key part of the Irish depth at cornerback.
BREAKOUT COMING FOR MICKEY?
Expectations were high for Jaden Mickey during his freshman season, and after a strong first spring it was easy to see why. Things didn't go quite as planned, and Mickey struggled for parts of his rookie campaign. He switched numbers this spring, but Mickey had the same confidence and swagger he showed in his first spring.
Mickey was once again a spring standout, and he heads into his sophomore season with expectations just as high. The difference in year two is that Mickey was more than just a talented young player with a lot of confidence, he showed a refined technical ability. Mickey was more consistent this spring, he was more patient, and the result was better production.
Notre Dame needs Mickey to build on his strong spring, and if he does he'll emerge as the team's number three cornerback. A breakout from Mickey means protection if Hart gets injured again, or he can be an outstanding No. 3 cornerback if the starters are healthy. That means cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens can use Mickey as part of a rotation that allows the staff to remain aggressive with its coverages, but also helps keep the starters fresh throughout the season.
A breakout from Mickey is important for Notre Dame, of that there is little doubt.
KEY SEASON FOR JUNIOR CLASS
Juniors Chance Tucker and Ryan Barnes enter a very important season for both. With the arrival of a talented group of freshmen, the presence of a strong sophomore class and of course, veterans Cam Hart and Clarence Lewis ahead of them, the junior class needs a strong spring if they are going to crack the rotation at cornerback.
Tucker is coming off a quality spring, and he enters the fall with his best chance to crack the rotation. I believe Mickens would like to have a strong two-deep at all three second level secondary positions (field corner, boundary corner, nickel). If Mickey and Lewis both step up and have strong fall camps there is still an opportunity for another defender to earn a spot.
If Tucker can build on his strong spring he could be that player. Barnes could also be that player, especially if Lewis is needed more outside, which would open up a spot in the slot behind transfer Thomas Harper.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
For the second straight season, Mickens has landed one of the nation's best cornerback classes. St. Louis native Christian Gray and Texas speedster Micah Bell were an outstanding one-two combination in the 2023 class.
Gray was an early enrollee and up until he went out with a knee injury he was impressive during the spring. If healthy, Gray has big time coverage skills that is a perfect fit for the Irish defensive philosophy. He will need to get stronger, but his combination of athleticism, length and intelligence could allow him to make a run up the depth chart, which won't be easy considering the talent in the older classes.
Bell needs a lot of technical work, and he might be a year away from cracking the rotation, but there is no way I'm writing off a player with that kind of elite speed. Bell was a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in high school, so perhaps he could be a factor in the return game.
Barring a rash of injuries, Notre Dame won't need either of these players but both Gray and Bell have the skills and potential to still do just that, both on defense and on special teams.
KEY STORYLINES
1. Will Hart and Morrison Take Another Step - Hart and Morrison should be a dynamic duo, but that requires both to continue getting better and better. Notre Dame cannot afford for either to take a step back this season, and it needs Hart to stay healthy. This pair is key to the defense playing the style Golden wants, which is an aggressive style that plays a lot of man coverage on the perimeter. Take that away - either due to injury or the corners not playing as well - and the defense will have a harder time playing to its full potential.
2. Can The Corners Be More Disruptive - Morrison obviously shined with six injuries, five of which came in two games, but overall the corners didn't make enough plays on the football. The. corners combined for just 21 passes defensed last season, and just 13 break ups, which as a unit isn't great production. In 2018, for example, starting cornerbacks Julian Love and Troy Pride Jr. combined for 29 passes defensed by themselves. The 2017 cornerbacks combined for 41 passes defensed.
Notre Dame plays a lot more man defense than those units, which will lower the numbers a little bit, but even with that context the 21 passes defensed last season is way too low. Will it get better in 2023? We'll see, but it needs to happen if this is going to be a championship unit.
3. Will The Depth Step Up - Notre Dame needs more than just Hart and Morrison to thrive in 2023. As I stated above, Mickens wants to play more than just two corners, and with Hart's injury history the need for good depth is vitally important. There are plenty of options, and talented options at that, but every player competing for a role in the Irish cornerback rotation behind the starters has to improve his game and prove he's capable of being that guy. If at least two defenders do that the Irish cornerback room will be much more than just Hart and Morrison, and that's how this group becomes one of the nation's best.
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