This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #10 TaRiq Bracy, Cornerback

Time for another edition of “This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football”. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.

#10 TaRiq Bracy, CB

A 5’10”, 172 pound sophomore out of Milpitas, California, Bracy was a solid two-way player in high school. His team won 2017 California Interscholastic Federation 4-A state championship with Bracy playing running back and defensive back. Bracy scored four touchdowns in that championship game, giving him 73 total for his prep career.

Bracy came to Notre Dame as part of the 2018 signing class. His recruiting ranking varied quite a bit depending on the service. He was the no. 411-ranked overall player nationally, no. 24 athlete nationally and no. 51 player from California by 247Sports. ESPN called him the No. 51 athlete nationally and No. 61 player from California. Finally, Rivals had him as the No. 39 athlete nationally and No. 65 player from California. All three ranked him as a three-star prospect.

Bracy wore #35 as a freshman in 2018 and played in 11 games with 18 total tackles and a forced fumble. Seven of his 11 tackles came against Pitt and his forced fumble was in the Florida State game.

Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, or Chicago

With spots open on the depth chart and Bracy steadily improving, let’s go with this Chicago gem.

Hey Dog HEY!

Bracy showed us in high school that he’s incredibly versatile. For that reason, let’s go with a Blue Picardy Spaniel, which is recognized as one of the most versatile hunting dogs out there.

2019 Outlook

With the departures of key secondary guys like Julian Love, Noah Boykin, and Devin Studstill, the opportunity for Bracy to play more snaps is apparent. A starting spot might not happen but he will likely be a second-string guy on either side.

Bracy obviously has athletic ability for days, so could we see him utilized more on special teams as well? Maybe not immediately thanks to the depth Notre Dame has...which really isn’t a bad problem to have.

Bottom line: while his name will likely appear more in the stat sheet in 2019, it will probably be little bit before he’s a central part of this defense. This season will likely be more about getting more experience behind the remaining upperclassmen and possibly adding a little more muscle to that frame of his.

YouTube Hot Fire

For his achievements as a high school athlete, Bracy was named the 2018 San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Male High School Athlete of the Year. Here’s their tribute video to him.