Class Impact: Breaking Down The Commitment Of Karson Hobbs To Notre Dame

Notre Dame picked up a commitment from Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller cornerback Karson Hobbs. The 2024 defensive back pledged to the Irish shortly after his visit for the Clemson game, which resulted in him de-committing from South Carolina and then ultimately flipping to the Irish.

Let's break down how the commitment of Hobbs impacts the Notre Dame 2024 class and the Irish depth chart.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Hobbs is the seventh player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2024 class. He is the third defensive player and the first defensive back to pledge to the Irish in the class.

Notre Dame has recruited cornerback extremely well since Mike Mickens showed up. His first three-man class of Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker and Philip Riley helped restock the depth chart. That was followed by an outstanding two-man haul of Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, who are already key members of the cornerback rotation. Mickens followed that class up with another outstanding haul in 2023, with the Irish picking up top-ranked cover man Christian Gray and speedster Micah Bell.

The back-to-back haul in 2022 and 2023 has completely changed over the depth chart. Notre Dame's cornerback depth chart was a major concern from a depth and top-end talent standpoint when Mickens arrived, but in very short time he has turned it into a major strength.

For 2024, the success of the two previous seasons meant Mickens and the Irish staff went into the cycle focused more on talent than numbers. Notre Dame is looking for another two-man class, with a third being possible if there are departures from the current roster.

Taking Hobbs this early tells you everything you need to know about how the staff views the Cincinnati cover man. There's no need to take him this early when you look at the other names on the board, and the success of recent seasons meant the staff could take their time landing 2024 corners. That tells you that Notre Dame views Hobbs as the kind of impact talent it wanted in the class.

Hobbs joins a class that already has quarterback CJ Carr, wide receiver Cam Williams, tight end Jack Larsen, offensive tackle Peter Jones, defensive end Brandon Davis-Swain and defensive tackle Owen Wafle.

NOTRE DAME FIT - EVALUATION

Mickens likes length at cornerback, and that's the first thing that jumps out on film when evaluating Hobbs. He's listed at 6-1, but more importantly he has very, very long arms. That length alone makes Hobbs a very intriguing prospect, and gives him some positional flexibility, should the need arrive.

Hobbs shows a natural understanding of how to use his length to his advantage. It allows him to get easy jams on wideouts without having to extend or lean. It allows him to keep his arms engaged when working down the field and it makes him hard to throw over or around.

The Moeller standout is a smooth and fluid athlete, one that moves with ease on the football field. Hobbs will need to clean up his technique, but when his footwork is technique his transitions are clean. He can open up and run with ease, which combines with his length and good speed to make him a very effective press cornerback.

Hobbs will be used in press and to play off in zone looks for Moeller. When playing off he shows good instincts and the ability to drive on routes. He takes good angles to the football in the run game and pass game, and he's a disruptive cover player. In high school, Hobbs is at his best in press man, where he uses his length to thrive. Hobbs also shows a very good feel for finding and making plays on the ball in man coverage.

The 6-1, 180-pound cornerback is a willing tackler that shows good functional strength for his age. He'll keep filling out and getting stronger, and this is an area that should be a major strength for him at the next level, especially as he improves his block destruction technique.

Irish Breakdown Fans be sure to get your Notre Dame tickets from SI Tickets HERE

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Gettr: @IrishBreakdown
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter