Notre Dame Looking To Add An ACC Grad Transfer
According to multiple sources, Notre Dame is pursuing a possible graduate transfer to its secondary. The Fighting Irish coaches are looking to add NC State cornerback Nick McCloud, who is in the transfer portal.
Irish Breakdown was informed that Notre Dame was in fact making a push for McCloud, but him ultimately ending up at Notre Dame is not a done deal at this point.
Any athlete that wants to transfer to Notre Dame must be able to get into the graduate program, which from what I am told is more challenging than most places. It's only more challenging with everything going on regarding the COVID-19 situation.
Should Notre Dame get McCloud into graduate school the odds are good that he will end up being part of the Irish team in 2020.
McCloud was named a team captain for the Wolfpack as a senior, but was injured in the first game of the 2019 season. He returned for Clemson but was once again injured and shut down for the season, which earned him a medical redshirt and an additional year of eligibility.
McCloud has 19 career starts for the Wolfpack. He registered 105 career tackles, 20 career pass break ups and three interceptions. He started the bowl game against Vanderbilt as a freshman, and followed that up with six starts as a sophomore.
McCloud made four tackles and broke up a pass in NC State's 35-14 loss to Notre Dame that season, but he did get beat for an 11-yard touchdown by Irish receiver Kevin Stepherson. McCloud made seven pass break ups, picked off a pass and registered 34 tackles that season.
In 2018, McCloud started 11 games and finished with 51 tackles, eight pass break ups and two interceptions.
McCloud is listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds, and he certainly has a lot of experience. He would bring leadership and experience to the secondary, but he would also be the only veteran at the position with size and length. His instincts and ability to play the ball are noticeable on film, and he uses his length well in coverage.
Athletically, McCloud lacks top-notch speed, but he has quick feet and relatively loose hips for someone his size. He's not the kind of corner you want to put in man-to-man situations all game like you would Troy Pride Jr..
But McCloud is a sound tackler and he's got good size, so playing a role similar to that of Julian Love in 2018 is certainly not out of the question.
According to the sources I spoke with, the Irish staff values his length and experience, but McCloud would need to come in and challenge and beat out the other cornerbacks on the roster.
Assuming he is fully recovered from his knee injury, and assuming he gets back all of his athleticism, McCloud would be a quality addition to the secondary, either as a full-time starter or as a key part of the rotation.
According to Bret Friedlander of AllWolfpack.com, McCloud has missed games in two different seasons with knee injuries, which is something to monitor.
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