Class Impact: S Justin Walters To Notre Dame
Notre Dame has added to its outstanding 2021 class, landing Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School safety Justin Walters.
Walters had offers from Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern, Missouri, Minnesota, Boston College, Duke, Iowa State, Indiana, Kentucky and UCF.
Let’s take a look at what landing Walters means for Notre Dame.
CLASS IMPACT
Notre Dame failed to land a single true safety in the 2020 class, although Mississippi defensive back Caleb Offord could very well end up at the position. Landing Ohio State grad transfer Isaiah Pryor helped ease the loss of talented 2018 signee Derrik Allen, but the depth at the position is shaky.
To make matters worse, Pryor and Houston Griffith will be going into their final seasons in 2021, and Kyle Hamilton’s talent and early production certainly create the possibility that 2021 will be his final season at Notre Dame as well. Simply put, landing talented safeties that can play somewhat early in their career is incredibly important for Notre Dame in the 2021 class.
Landing Walters to kick off the secondary class is incredibly important.
Notre Dame doesn’t need to hit big on numbers at safety, it just needs high-upside players with the tools to develop somewhat quickly. Walters has that kind of talent, and his combination of skills projects well to both safety positions, which is crucial to a successful safety class, and it allows the staff to focus on adding the next best player instead of having to look for a safety that fills a specific need that Walters might not.
Notre Dame’s class currently ranks third according to Rivals and 247Sports, but the class has been dominated by offensive players. Landing Walters means Notre Dame is finally adding to the defensive haul, which has stood at just one since Top 100 defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio committed back in June.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Walters plays the middle of the field for Bolingbrook, but from there he is asked to do a lot. You see him playing the post, you see him playing the alleys, you will see him coming down into the box and you see him being asked to drive on routes. The only thing I haven’t seen much of from Walters on film is man coverage, but the physical tools he shows projects well to that part of the game, especially against backs and tight ends.
Despite being listed at just 175 pounds, Walters packs quite a punch as a hitter. He shows excellent closing speed and arrives at the football with impressive force. When he strikes a ball carrier, even when Walters doesn’t get a full head of steam he drives his opponent back. His ability to explode his hips through contact is impressive, but it really comes down to having the God given ability to deliver punishment despite a lack of ideal size.
His frame is such that getting over 190 pounds should be easy for him, and I won’t be surprised if Walters is at least 200 pounds when its all said and done. As he gets stronger and fills out his ability to hammer opponents will only increase. He projects to be an outstanding alley player, and in that regard his game reminds me a great deal of former Irish standout Alohi Gilman, although Walters is longer.
On top of being physical at the point of attack, Walters is a fundamentally sound player that shows strong tackling technique and the ability to play under control.
Walters shows impressive route recognition when playing zone. He anticipates well, takes good angles to cut off routes (and then play the football) and his short area quickness allows Walters to quickly work against players that come in his area. Although he will play the post effectively, he is at his best as a quarters defender. His length and toughness allow him to handle tight ends at the prep level, and that should project well to the next level.
Athletically, Walters isn’t a burner, but he shows top-notch initial quickness and good long speed, which allows him to cover effectively and makes him so effective closing on the football in the alleys. He shows good foot quickness, excellent balance and loose hips. Walters is a very smooth and efficient athlete, which is important for a safety.
In some ways his game is a combination of Gilman and Jalen Elliott, and it's easy to see why the Notre Dame staff went hard after him despite still being in the process of working out the rest of the safety board.
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