Notre Dame Signs CB Philip Riley
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have signed cornerback Philip Riley.
PHILIP RILEY PROFILE
Hometown: Valrico, Fla.
High School: Bloomingdale
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190
2020 Stats: 24 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 punt return TD, 1 kick return TD
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5
Offers: Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, USC, Oregon, Florida State, Penn State, Michigan, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, NC State, South Carolina, Michigan State, Minnesota, Maryland, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Arizona State, Kansas
Recruited By: Mike Mickens
247Sports: 4-star
Rivals: 4-star
ESPN: 4-star
Composite: 4-star - No. 304 overall
FILM ANALYSIS
Riley is a physically imposing football player that looks more like a college senior than a high school senior. His length and power shine on the football field every time I see him play. Riley needs technique work, but his strength allows him to bully opponents, and he plays top competition week after week.
The Bloomingdale standout lacks great speed, but he runs well and his long speed is good enough to thrive on the outside. You could see that in the multiple kick returns that he took back to the house for Bloomingdale. His foot quickness allows him to play fast, and his ability to plant and drive on the ball is excellent. His run game production is elite for a cornerback or safety.
Riley is extremely effective at block destruction thanks to his size, powerful hands and competitiveness. He takes good angles to the football, he’s a sound tackler and he is smart enough to sniff out quick throws and screens. Riley also shows the ability to jam wideouts as well as the long speed to cover posts. All those traits make him suited for the field corner position.
Riley has the traits that fit well at the boundary position and in the slot, but what makes him such an important pickup is that he projects just as well at safety. He could easily be a multi-year starter at both corner and safety.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Riley is an intriguing player when it comes to his fit at Notre Dame, and the reason is he projects to so many different spots in the Irish defense. He could play either corner spot, he could thrive in the slot as a nickel player and Riley could also develop into a standout at safety. That kind of versatility is incredibly hard to find.
JOHN GARCIA, SI ALL-AMERICAN ON RILEY
"We had the chance to see Riley work in person multiple times this fall and those around him rave about where he has come from a body-composition standpoint. He moved from Washington to Florida halfway through high school as a slender corner and has grown into a bigger, more physical nickel or safety type with boundary corner upside. Riley is confident and comfortable at the line of scrimmage, runs well enough to bail and has little issue with disengaging and/or run support. More consistent leverage discipline and ball tracking may be the next steps to take."
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