Notre Dame Signs S Justin Walters

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have signed safety Justin Walters

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have signed safety Justin Walters

JUSTIN WALTERS PROFILE

Hometown: Bolingbrook, Ill.
High School: Bolingbrook

Height: 6-2
Weight: 175

IB Grade: 3.5 (Top 400 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.0

Offers: Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa State, Michigan State, Boston College, Missouri, Minnesota, Duke, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati

Recruited By: Terry Joseph, Clark Lea

ESPN: 3-star
Rivals: 3-star
247Sports: 3-star
Composite: 3-star - No. 568 overall

FILM ANALYSIS

Not getting to play his senior season (due to Illinois canceling the fall season) cost Walters a chance to boost his stock. It also kept him from proving even more that he is a top player in this defensive class.

The first thing that stands out on film is Walters ability to make impact plays in the run game. He plays the alleys extremely well, showing a good initial burst, easy change of direction skills and top-notch closing speed. Walters also takes sound angles to the football and is a quality tackler from a technique standpoint.

On top of being a sound player, Walters shows surprising power when he arrives at the football. I say surprising because you don’t expect an athlete that is listed at 175 pounds to play with such power and force. Even when he doesn’t get a full head of steam, Walters arrives at the football with ferocity, showing the ability to drive through contact. 

That kind of lower body explosiveness stands out, and it’s going to get better as he adds more weight room strength. His potential in the run game is outstanding, and it’s only going to get better as he fills out his frame.

Walters isn’t a dynamic athlete, but he’s smooth, fluid and changes direction with ease. Those traits give him good playing speed and help him overcome the lack of truly top-end speed. Those physical traits combine nicely with his instincts and feel for the game to make him a strong coverage player. Walters makes smart reads in the pass game and much like he does in the run game, he takes good angles when attacking routes.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Walters stated that Notre Dame is recruiting him to play the same safety type of role that Alohi Gilman did the last two seasons, which fits his game perfectly. Walters is at his best when playing the alleys and coming downhill. If he fills out his frame he projects to be an impact run defender, which is important for a safety in the Irish defense.

JOHN GARCIA, SI ALL-AMERICAN ON WALTERS

"Walters is a new-age safety type, comfortable playing in the box or the alley in run support with the flashes of authority along the way. There's a confidence to his game that Notre Dame has showcased at the safety position, currently occupied by Kyle Hamilton, that makes the Walters fit make even more sense. While more coverage snaps would do him well, a defense can't ever have enough secondary prospects willing to play inside with range and striking potential." 

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