Landing Impact Cover Corners Is A Must For Notre Dame In 2022

Notre Dame must complement its outstanding 2021 cornerback class with top cover players in the 2022 class

Notre Dame has been driven by its defense the last four seasons, and for much of that span cornerback play was a strength for the Irish. Last season we saw a drop off, and that drop off would have been even steeper if not for grad transfer Nick McCloud arriving.

While the defense has fueled the recent resurgence at Notre Dame, there's still room for improvement. Making strides in key areas is a must if the Irish are going to close to the gap.

In 2021 the Irish landed a talented four-man cornerback class. It was led by a pair of long, boundary corners (Ryan Barnes, Philip Riley) that could also project to play safety or in the slot. 

There are a number of talented corners on the board, including bigger corners like Jaeden Gould, Keenan Nelson and Ephesian Prysock, and those three players would certainly be strong additions to the class. Having said that, those players are all very similar to the top players in the 2021 class and the 2020 class. 

An absolute must get in the 2022 class is at least one cornerback that is more of a pure cover player. Ideally a player that could thrive as a field cornerback, and be a player that can thrive as a man defender even to the field.

There are three players on the board that fit that mold, and landing at least one is a must. If Notre Dame can get two players from this list to combine with the tremendous 2021 haul it would give the Irish the kind of cornerback depth chart needed to compete for a championship.

KHAMAURI ROGERS

Rogers is without question one of the nation's best pure cover players, and he's my No. 1 cornerback on the board for this class. A former LSU commit, Rogers recently included Notre Dame in his top group. While the Irish are certainly giving him a lot to think about, actually pulling an elite cover player out of SEC territory is going to be incredibly hard.

What I love hearing, however, is that cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman are making Rogers a priority and are making a hard push for him.

Here is part of my film analysis of Rogers:

"At 6-1 and 165 pounds, Rogers is a long and very thin cornerback. He is not only tall, but he has long arms, and he knows how to use that length to his advantage during routes and when defending throws. Rogers plays the football extremely well, both when he drives on routes and when covering downfield. The Holmes County cover man makes fast reads, his anticipation is top notch and his ability to mirror routes is exceptional. You can see this in game film and in 7-on-7 situations.

"Rogers is a smooth and fluid athlete with loose hips. His long strides mask his speed a bit, but I have yet to see a wide receiver outrun him on a vertical route. Despite being so smooth, Rogers shows suddenness as an athlete, possessing exceptionally quick feet and explosive change of direction ability. His technique is still underdeveloped, but he's so athletic that he's able to quickly recover with ease and drive on routes.

"When I talk about him being a high IQ player you can see it with how he plays the ball as well. He takes tremendous angles when breaking on routes, and he constantly beats wideouts to the spot, which helps him get his hands on a lot of throws and he forces a high number of incompletions. MaxPreps has Rogers down for 38 career pass breakups and six interceptions in 31 games."

JADEN MICKEY

Unfortunately, Mickey didn't get a chance to play his junior season in the fall, so we haven't seen anything from him since he played as a sophomore. His sophomore film was quite intriguing, and he was an outstanding cover player despite going up against an extremely challenging schedule. I'm excited to see him kick off his junior season later this month, because I think we're going to see him making a big jump and look more like a Top 100 player than the No. 220 overall player he is right now.

Notre Dame has made a strong push for Mickey of late, and it made his top four along with Oregon, California and Northwestern. Mickens and Brian Polian have made Mickey a priority, and he is the kind of cover player I'm talking about the Irish needing in this class.

Here is part of my film analysis of Mickey:

"To begin, Mickey is a quick footed and fluid athlete, two of the most important traits I look for in a cornerback, especially one that will be tasked with playing man coverage. Mickey also shows impressive coverage instincts, showing the ability to read routes effectively and to mirror what wideouts are doing. Mickey gets his hands on a lot of throws, both on the man he is defending, but also when he is able to come out of his zone and drive on the ball.

"That combination of smooth athletic skills and a high football IQ is impressive, but when you consider its based on sophomore film it makes it even more impressive.

"Mickey is still quite skinny as a sophomore, and he didn't look to be the 5-11 to 6-0 he's listed at now. Recent photos show a player that has filled out and grown a bit, but we have yet to see that on the football field. It's one of the top things I'm looking to see once he finally gets back on the field. As an undersized sophomore Mickey showed a lot of fight, both as a tackler and playing the football. His ability to shut down 6-5, 215-pound USC commit Keyan Burnett in a 2019 matchup was incredibly impressive."

NIKAI MARTINEZ

Martinez is on the shorter side at 5-10, and he's not quite as fluid as Rogers and Mickey, but he has other traits that make him an outstanding cover player for one of the best programs in the state of Florida.

Martinez plays a lot of off coverage in high school, which allows him to use his intelligence and quickness to his advantage. The Apopka standout plants and drives downhill as well as any cornerback I've seen on film. He is also a smart corner that makes fast reads and his ball skills are top notch.

Notre Dame has been pushing for Martinez for some time, and while he'll be difficult to get out of the South, the Irish have put themselves in the mix. 

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