Tag: Chance Tucker

Goshen News publishes story about Notre Dame cornerbacks

Do you have high hopes for this unit?

With spring practice in full swing at Notre Dame, now is the time to write about pretty much everything related to the program. After all, the first game of the season is months away, so it’s nice to read about the team without having to look at it through the lens of game performance. The Goshen News realizes is and decided to look at one of the units the Irish have. Specifically, Evan Lepak has written about Mike Mickens’ cornerbacks.

Significant attention is given to veterans TaRiq Bracy, Clarence Lewis and Cam Hart. Lepak also notes that the Irish have a bunch of freshmen after those three on the depth chart. There are redshirt freshmen Ryan Barnes, Philip Riley and Chance Tucker. The Irish also have early enrollee Jaden Mickey in camp.

We don’t know how effective the Irish will be at cornerback in 2022, but this cast of characters will be interesting to watch if for no other reason than to see how deep they can go with such a drop-off of experience.

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Signed: Notre Dame defensive back Chance Tucker

California defensive back Chance Tucker signs with Notre Dame.

California cornerback Chance Tucker, six-foot-one-inch and 180-pounds, has signed his letter of intent with Notre Dame.

247Sports composite ranking: 566

247Sports positional composite ranking: 45

Welcome to the Irish family Chance!

Check out the Mount Rushmore of Notre Dame recruits!

Signed: Notre Dame defensive back Chance Tucker

California defensive back Chance Tucker signs with Notre Dame.

California cornerback Chance Tucker, six-foot-one-inch and 180-pounds, has signed his letter of intent with Notre Dame.

247Sports composite ranking: 566

247Sports positional composite ranking: 45

Welcome to the Irish family Chance!

Check out the Mount Rushmore of Notre Dame recruits!

Notre Dame talking with ‘21 WR Thornton everyday, what does it mean?

The Irish have three WR commits already in the fold for ‘21, but are still recruiting another one hard. What does that mean?

When Jayden Thomas committed last week, it gave Brian Kelly three spectacular prospects at the position for the 2021 recruiting class. According to a report today, one-time Penn State commit Dont’e Thornton is talking with the Irish staff every day.

With Thomas, Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Deion Colzie already committed, it makes you wonder what the staff is thinking going after another receiver. There are only three outgoing seniors at the position, and in last year’s class there were three players that signed. Fifteen total players will be on the roster next year, not including the three commits.

The group has yet to break out this year, but Kelly is confident they will. Kevin Austin and Bennett Skoronek return this week, while Braden Lenzy gets healthier and healthier each week. Skoronek is one of the three with their eligibility running out, Avery Davis and Javon McKinley the others. None have really made an impact.

Keeping all this in mind, could there be a player on the roster or a committed player be in line for a position change? After seeing highlights from this past weekend, immediately Lorenzo Styles Jr.’s name came to mind.

This is the reason why he came to mind. Styles Jr. has the skill set to play defense and after losing cornerback commit Philip Riley, there is a need at the position. The current two commits, Ryan Barnes and Chance Tucker are great players, but neither have the ceiling Styles Jr. does.

The frame Styles Jr. would bring to the position would be elite, 6-foot-1-inch and 185–pounds is an imposing figure at corner. Size would never be an issue with any receiver he would go up against.

Yes, the Irish would gladly take a commitment from Thornton, but his continued recruitment does open up possibilities for Styles Jr. to end up on the other side of the ball. Although Richard Sherman’s change was while he was at Stanford, it sure worked out well for him. Here’s hoping that if Styles Jr. does move to the defensive side of the ball, it ends up similar to one of the best corners in the game.

Midweek Recruiting Update: Johnson offer, latest on Colzie, and more

A look at the latest recruiting news for Notre Dame Football.

It’s safe to say that it’s been fairly quiet on the recruiting trail for the Irish. The coaching staff changed that last night, as they offered Northwestern commit Theran Johnson.

The instate cornerback has been committed to the ‘Cats since May 3 of this year, Johnson is a very solid prospect. He stands six-feet tall and weights 170-pounds. The offer should catch Johnsons attention as aside from Northwestern, every other one of his offers are from non-Power Five schools.

I love this offer, Johnson is a player that might take some time to develop, but getting some of the better talent in Indiana to play for the Irish is a positive development. Almost all of the top 25 players in the state are heading off to a Power Five team, the Irish only have a commit from Blake Fisher. Yes, he’s a big one, literally and figuratively, the top overall player in the state.

Looking ahead at what’s to come for the Irish, the potential for Georgia wide receiver Deion Colzie to rejoin the class is looking better and better as we inch towards his commitment date on the 28th of this month.

Tom Loy, of Irish Illustrated, changed his crystal ball pick to the Irish. That gives me a ton of confidence that as of right now, Colzie is trending to rejoining Lorenzo Styles Jr. as the wide receivers in the 2021 class.

Right now the class consists of nine players on offense: quarterback Tyler Buchner, running back Logan Diggs, Styles Jr., Fisher, offensive tackle Joe Alt, guard Rocco Spindler, center Pat Coogan and tight end’s Mitchell Evans and Cane Berrong.

The defensive commits are a group of nine as well: defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio, defensive ends David Abiara and Jason Onye, linebackers Prince Collie and Will Schweitzer, and defensive backs Philip Riley, Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker and Justin Walters.

The group of 18 players ranks 12th at ESPN, 13th at 247Sports and 11th at Rivals. Brian Kelly has a solid group of three players committed in the 2022 class: offensive tackle Joey Tanona, tight end Jack Nickel and safety Nolan Ziegler.

It has been a bit slow, but with Colzie’s timeline to recommit set and spatula being brought out to flip Johnson, there could be some positive movement for the Irish. Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for the latest in Notre Dame Football recruiting.

Irish Commit to miss Senior Season, Enroll Early

With Maryland canceling their fall and winter sports, a Notre Dame commit announced his intentions for this coming season.

With many states opting to change their high school football schedules, rising seniors have to make changes to what they might do this fall. Do they play if their state moves football to the fall, do they transfer if football is canceled all together?

Notre Dame commit Ryan Barnes has made his decision after his home state of Maryland on Tuesday canceled their fall and winter sports and will have virtual learning for the first semester. He will not transfer to another school, focus on his academics with the intention of enrolling early in South Bend as Rivals has reported.

This is not how Barnes saw his senior season playing out, but that is one of the unfortunate side effects of the nation continuing the battle with COVID-19. Maryland is not the only state to make adjustments as Virginia has canceled their fall sports, California and Washington have postponed their seasons to the spring, and Texas has made adjustments to their fall schedule. We can not stress how much this hurts not just the athletes but all senior high school students who will miss out on big milestones.

We will continue to monitor the situation as more states make their decisions and student-athletes make theirs as well. Of the states to make their fall schedules known that have Irish commits are Californian’s Tyler Buchner, quarterback, and newest Irish commit cornerback Chance Tucker and Texas’ defensive end David Abiara have yet to make their decision public. Once they do, we will fill you in on their intentions.

Notre Dame’s new position coach who is crushing recruiting

Mike Mickens was a relative unknown when he was hired by Brian Kelly this winter but has already made a huge impact in the recruiting game.

Raise your hand if you knew anything about Mike Mickens when news came down back at the start of the new year that former Notre Dame star and secondary coach Todd Lyght was leaving his post.

Currently in the room I type this in my eight month old daughter didn’t raise her hand and my arms both stayed by my side after typing that, too.

I’m not afraid to say I knew nothing about the former Cincinnati Bearcats star when his name began to get mentioned as a potential candidate to replace Lyght, but Mickens has shown early that just because he might not have brought the name brand that Lance Taylor brought when he took over the running backs, it doesn’t mean he can’t make an immediate impact.

A simple glance at Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class now shows 13 commitments with four of those coming in the secondary after Chance Tucker announced his college decision on Wednesday.

Along with Tucker you find four-star corner Philip Riley, three-star corner Ryan Barnes and three-star safety Justin Walters.  The corners were all offered by Mickens, who as Carter Karels of the South Bend Tribune points out, has had great success early in some incredibly unique times.

The numbers alone speak volumes but when you factor in the pandemic and official visits not taking place it only makes his start with the Fighting Irish coaching staff that much more impressive.

Mickens had quite the resume in the actual coaching part of the job at Cincinnati.  The Bearcats went from 113th nationally in defensive pass efficiency in 2017, a year before his arrival.  The last two seasons saw Cincinnati finish all the way to the top 15 nationally with Mickens coaching the cornerbacks.

There are obviously no guarantees that will automatically translate but based off of what we’ve seen Mickens accomplish in some of the strangest times any of us have ever seen, his time at Notre Dame is clearly off to an outstanding start.

Want to learn more about Mike Mickens?  Check out the five fast facts we found out about him upon his hiring at Notre Dame.

Scouts Eye: What to expect from Newest Irish commit Tucker

Notre Dame’s newest commit Chance Tucker brings a lot to the table, find out what we see after watching his highlight reel.

The newest Notre Dame commit from the 2021 class, California cornerback Chance Tucker, has great size at 6-foot-1-inches and weighs 170-pounds. The weight isn’t much of a concern at the moment, as once Tucker arrives to South Bend and enters a collegiate weightlifting program, that number will surely rise. What Tucker shows on film however is impressive.

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Tucker mainly plays on an island, something that gives defensive coordinators the utmost confidence that he can stick to his man. This allows other members of the defense to be more aggressive, and a safety doesn’t need to shade over to help Tucker’s side. One thing that Tucker will have to work on is getting his head turned around quicker, as this could potentially lead to pass interference penalties. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens will surely work with Tucker on that aspect.

He plays on both sides of the ball like most high school stars do, although he will focus mainly on defense when Tucker enters the program. There is a possibility that Tucker could contribute early on special teams as well if he does not crack the lineup early in his career. Either way, Brian Kelly has gotten a commitment from a player who has a high ceiling even though his star ranking might not be exceptional.

Top Remaining Notre Dame Target to Announce Decision Wednesday

Will Notre Dame land their fourth defensive back commitment in the 2021 recruiting class on Wednesday?

Could Notre Dame be about to add a third corner back to their 2021 recruiting class?

That’s their hope as their top remaining defensive back target, Chance Tucker of Encino, California (Crespi) is set to announce his college decision on Wednesday.

Tucker shared he’d made his decision and that he’s ready to announce on Tuesday.

Tucker is graded as a three-star talent by 247Sports that Notre Dame officially offered on June 2.  Most recently, Northwestern offered a scholarship to Tucker just one week ago.

Notre Dame is certainly one of the favorites here but so is Washington, a team that has had outstanding success of late in securing strong defensive talent.

Tucker will be making the announcement at 10 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class currently sits with a pair of corner commits in Philip Riley and Ryan Barnes, as well as safety Justin Walters.

Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire for all of the reaction after Tucker announces his decision and whatever you do, for the love of God don’t complain to him on Twitter if he doesn’t pick your favorite college football program.

Football Recruiting: Irish Active with Offers in last 24 Hours

The Notre Dame staff has been active in the last day, offering three different prospects across two recruiting classes.

The Notre Dame staff stayed active last night as they offered two new prospects. First it was 2021 Californian athlete Chance Tucker to report his offer.

The two-sport star, who also runs track, could play either corner back or wide receiver at the next level. His frame suits either position, 6’1” and 170-pounds, although Tucker will have to add some weight when he arrives on a college campus. Tucker holds offers from Washington, Colorado and Oregon State among others.

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The second offer out last night was to class of ’21 Erik Olsen from Colorado. The tight end stands 6’5” and weighs 230-pounds has released his Top 10 schools, but obviously that was prior to the Irish joining the fray.

Olsen’s top schools are mainly in the west coast, but the Irish have a good relationship with prospects on that side of the country. At the moment, Notre Dame has accepted a commitment from Georgia’s Cane Berrong, so it remains to be seen how strong the Irish staff chases Olsen.

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The third and final offer out in the last 24 hours went out this morning to class of 2022 linebacker Langston Patterson. The Tennessee star has seen his recruitment heat up recently, adding offers from Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and others since last month.

At the moment Patterson projects to play inside linebacker, the same position his brother Kane plays for Clemson right now. It’s very early in Patterson’s recruitment so it’s hard to have a pulse as to where he is leaning, but if Clemson offers, they could be tough to beat for his commitment.

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The Notre Dame staff has been active with offers out to the 2021 and 2022 class. At the current moment the class of 2021 has ten members and is ranked 14th nationally by the 247Sports composite. The 2022 class does not have a commitment to date, but with many offers out to prospects that should change in the coming months.