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Elite 2022 DB Is A Notre Dame Fit

Notre Dame is making a push for one of the nation's best corners from the 2022 class, and he's an ideal fit for the Irish
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Notre Dame offered a scholarship to Grosse Point (Mich.) South cornerback William Johnson, one of the top players in the nation for the 2022 class.

Johnson could be a trendsetter for Notre Dame, as the Irish look to add elite talent to the secondary.

For a number of reasons, Notre Dame rarely lands the truly elite cornerback recruits. Sometimes it’s grades. In fact, often academic issues cause Notre Dame to stop recruiting top cornerback recruits. If not grades, distance from home. Most of the top cornerbacks do not reside close to South Bend.

Johnson is one of the best corners in the country, and the two factors that often stand in Notre Dame’s way at the position are not factors with him.

According to Google Maps, the 6-1, 180-pound athlete resides just three hours and thirty-six minutes from the University of Notre Dame. That’s the type of advantage Notre Dame does not generally find when recruiting elite cornerbacks.

While Johnson still lives across the state line in Michigan, he’s at least a Midwest prospect and not just another kid from a state like Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Texas or California, all states far from Notre Dame, yet constantly produce cornerbacks.

Let’s take a look at some of what Johnson brings to the table in terms of his frame and football skills. There’s much to like.

During this deep pass, Johnson’s leaping ability, quickness, hand-eye coordination, and long arms all help him make an incredible interception when the wide receiver actually did a great job of positioning himself to make the catch. Incredible play by Johnson.

This next pass can drive a quarterback crazy. The receiver defeated Johnson, yet he’s able to gain ground with his quickness, and at the last moment he deflects the pass with his long arms. Johnson did not gain the best start to the play with his feet, but his overall talent won the play.

This third clip shows how reading defensive back keys, keeping proper spacing, and how breaking on the football can lead to an easy interception. It’s also important to see Johnson play off-ball technique and make a big play. He’s not just a cover one cornerback. This is an all-around cornerback that can frustrate an opponent because of his diversity of skills.

Here’s the most amazing part of those three clips. They were all from 2018, Johnson’s freshman year. Think about that. A freshman making those plays. His full sophomore highlights are below, but think about what type of talent this young man possesses.

To better help understand what landing a player like Johnson could mean to Notre Dame, Johnson’s talents featured on the following podcast. He’s a special player and Notre Dame fans would be wise to remember his name.

Notre Dame already started offering 2022 prospects, and Johnson is one of the most important prospects from that entire class. Here’s a look at Johnson’s full 2022 Hudl highlights.

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