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Notre Dame Football: Former Ohio State Safety Isaiah Pryor Commits to the Fighting Irish

The talented veteran will be a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility and able to step in and play immediately in 2020 alongside Kyle Hamilton

By Pat Rick
NCAA Football: Ohio State at Penn State Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple visits to South Bend in the past month for Isaiah Pryor and his parents, the former Ohio State safety has committed to finish his collegiate career at Notre Dame, according to various reports.

Pryor will graduate this year from Ohio State and thus be a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, able to come in and play immediately in 2020.

This is HUGE for Clark Lea and the back half of his defense, as the Irish will be losing Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman after this season, meaning they will need to replace two talented seniors and captains.

NCAA Football: Notre Dame at Georgia Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Freshman Kyle Hamilton will almost certainly be one of the starters next season, and Pryor has a very good chance to be the other, although Houston Griffith and DJ Brown will also be in the mix.

Pryor was a major target in the 2017 class for the Irish back when he was a blue-chip, 4-star safety coming out of IMG Academy, but Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes won his commitment over the Irish and a bunch of other blue bloods, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Clemson Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and many more.

Pryor, originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, had 13 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 passes broken up as a true freshman in 2017, and then accumulated 31 tackles, 5 passes broken up, and an interception as a sophomore last year.

NCAA Football: Ohio State at Purdue Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

In 2019, he saw his playing time wane, and had played in just 3 games and made just 3 tackles before putting his name in the Transfer Portal and beginning to seek out options for his graduate transfer.

Hats off to ND safeties coach Terry Joseph and the rest of the Irish staff for going out and getting a talented veteran to help fill the void left by a couple very good safeties in Gilman and Elliott. Assuming they both win the starting spots, Hamilton and Pryor will definitely form the highest rated pair of starting safeties, in terms of recruiting ratings, that the Irish have had in a long, long time.

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