Class Impact: CB Benjamin Morrison To Notre Dame

Breaking down how cornerback Benjamin Morrison committing to Notre Dame impacts the 2022 class and the Fighting Irish depth chart

Notre Dame picked up a very important commitment when Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep cornerback Benjamin Morrison pledged to the Irish.

Let's break down what this commitment means for Notre Dame.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Morrison becomes the 19th commitment in the 2022 class, the 11th defensive player and the fourth cornerback. He joins a class that already has Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout corner Jaden Mickey, Naples (Fla.) High School corner Devin Moore and Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic corner/safety Jayden Bellamy.

Notre Dame signed a talented four-man cornerback class in 2021, which took a big step towards repairing what had become a thin cornerback depth chart. Notre Dame wanted another deep and talented group of corners in 2022. 

With Morrison in the class the Irish have certainly met their numbers and talent wants and needs in the class. That accomplishes two things. Notre Dame has now completely overhauled and loaded up its cornerback depth chart. That depth at cornerback should also impact the safety position, and several of the corners in the 2021 and 2022 classes have the potential to play in the slot or deep at safety.

Landing Morrison was the final piece that now allows the Irish to get very creative with its cornerback depth chart.

Notre Dame also needed higher upside in the cornerback class, and Morrison has arguably the highest ceiling of any cornerback in the 2021 or 2022 classes. He needs technical work, but his athleticism, length and instincts are outstanding, and he could quickly develop into an impact cover player for the Irish.

Morrison is a consensus four-star recruit so landing him will also boost the Irish recruiting class from a rankings standpoint.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Morrison is a very smooth and impressively fluid athlete. He possesses impressive foot quickness, fluid hips and his transitions are clean and quick. Morrison can change direction with ease, both when asked to plant and drive downhill and when asked to open up and run. His ability to quickly flip his hips, both with the initial stem and when handling double moves down the field is outstanding.

You will see Morrison playing off-man, press man and zone coverage for Brophy Prep, and he thrives in each area. His length, athleticism, range (long speed) and instincts all fit extremely well to the field cornerback position. Morrison's instincts and tackling ability in space make his field cornerback fit even better, but the Brophy Prep star has the combination of size, athleticism and strength potential to play the boundary and in the slot as well.

Morrison is listed at 6-0 and 175 pounds, but he is long and he plays bigger than that. He's a strong tackler both from a pop standpoint and a technique standpoint. Morrison is thin and has room to add a lot of strength, but he already arrives at the football with force, and he does a great job going low and driving through the legs of ball carriers.

Morrison has a good feel for the position, and his instincts in coverage are top-notch. There are some footwork and technical aspects of the position he'll need to continue improving and cleaning up, but his feel for the game stands out.

He projects best to the field position in the Notre Dame secondary due to his tackling ability, range and coverage skills. Morrison also has skills that project quite well to the slot and he also has the strength and length to grow into a boundary corner.

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Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule

Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense

2022 Big Board: Running Back
2022 Big Board: Slot Receivers

Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers

Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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