Christian Gray and Micah Bell Stepping Up Could Have A Major Impact For The Notre Dame Defense
Notre Dame's star at cornerback is rising junior Benjamin Morrison, who has been one of the best cover players in college football the last two seasons. He and All-American safety Xavier Watts give Notre Dame an elite foundation to build its new-look secondary for 2024. The other three spots are open, and we'll see a number of talented players battle for the open spots this spring.
A pair of sophomores will be part of those battles, and if they have strong springs it will give the Irish a chance to have a truly elite secondary. At the very least, their emergence will give Notre Dame one of the fastest cornerback groups in the country.
Christian Gray was able to work his way onto the field as a true freshman in 2023, and he was impressive when he was on the field. In the three games where he earned the most snaps, Gray allowed just three completions on 14 targets, and his performances in those games was highlighted by a one-handed interception against Pitt. Gray finished the season with the 13th best completion percentage allowed among all cornerbacks to play at least 100 coverage snaps (PFF).
The question now is can Gray build on his rookie year success. Replacing Cam Hart won't be easy, but the best teams reload instead of rebuild. Gray has the physical talent to step into the big shoes that Hart left behind, but he has a lot to prove. His 2023 success was without the pressure of being the starter, but this spring he'll push to become a starter.
Gray's game is very similar to Morrison, but he's faster. He showed outstanding man cover skills last season, and the hope is that he can add strength and take another jump as a sophomore. Gray breaking out would give Notre Dame a pair of long, athletic and pure man corners on the outside.
Whether its as the starter or a key rotation player, there's no doubt that a healthy Gray will be a key part of the defense in 2024. That isn't assumed about fellow sophomore Micah Bell, who is battling at the nickel position this spring.
Bell is the biggest secondary wild card on the roster. He's the fastest player on defense and could be the fastest player on the entire team. Bell was a dominant track player in high school, and his biggest success on the football field was as a 1,000-yard running back. His success on defense was more about having elite speed, and his game clearly needed a lot of technical work.
Bell still has a long way to go before he's ready to jump into the rotation, but it's exciting to think about what the secondary would look like if he's able to make that happen. He needs a strong spring in order to push himself into the rotation, but it would be a good idea for Mickens to make him a bit of a pet project. A breakout from Bell would have major implications on the Irish secondary.
Gray is a different player than Hart, and he gives the secondary a boost in speed. He's the fastest outside cornerback on the roster, and he was timed in the low 4.4 range at high school combines. Bell ran a 10.4 in the 100-meter dash in high school and has reported 4.3 speed. Getting those two sophomores on the field together, along with Morrison, would allow Al Golden and Mickens some matchup opportunities it didn't have last season. It would allow the defense to go pure man inside and outside, and allow them to match up speedwise against any receiving corps in the country.
If Gray and Bell are both able to force their way onto the field next season, it would also allow the Irish to insert the safeties down into the run game and allow Golden to get creative with how he uses the safeties in coverage. There are a number of exciting possibilities with players with that kind of speed on the field.
Expect a breakout spring from Gray, but keep an eye on Bell. If by the end of the spring he is being talked about as a breakout player as well the cornerback position is going to be even better than expected.
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