Notre Dame’s new cornerback coach Mike Mickens picked up his third engagement of the 2021 cycle at the three-star Chance Tucker corner of Encino, California.
Mickens beat out head coach Jimmy Lake of Washington over Tucker’s commitment, a small feat that takes a player out of the West Coast, especially in the COVID recruiting era.
The news started leaking earlier in the week. Tucker might be looking to commit soon, so it seemed prudent to give him his highlight tape once (or twice) to see what kind of player Notre Dame is getting.
Profile
6-1, 170
Ranking: .8627, three stars, # 687 overall
Offers: Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado
What immediately stands out in your profile is its size. This is another corner of six feet or more for Notre Dame High, making it five in the last two cycles, and poor Clarence Lewis is only 5’11 1/2, so he can’t join the “we’re very large group. ” Notre Dame has definitely placed an emphasis on size in the high school, especially the corner position.
Tucker really jumped onto the scene in the past few months, by the time a time of 10.97 100 meters fell in March, which was met with a bit of headwind. Given that the race was run so early in the athletic season, a 10.8, maybe even 10.7, may have been in Tuckers’ future. As it stands, by comparison, 10.97 is just what Kevin Austin ran in high school. So, he’s got Kevin Austin’s speed, at least on the track.
As for his rating, if Ryan Barnes is underrated enough, and Philip Riley is probably properly rated, he would put Tucker in the latter category. It could have been helped by a summer camp circuit or maybe some faster track times, but his qualifying makes sense to me. He doesn’t have any elite traits, he’s not a super flashy player, and he doesn’t come from a top-notch show in Southern California, although they play stiff competition.
This is a type of recruit profile. Mickens is known for his ability to develop players, and Tucker is the perfect type for him to do exactly that. He knows he’s the size, he can run, and he plays against athletes who will put him to the test. Tucker is not the best guy out on the field every week. Mickens would salivate over a player like this in Cincinnati, so it makes sense that he thinks he can fit in at Notre Dame as well.
General game
Tucker played a lot of press and a little out of cover at Encino High School and looks comfortable in both. He looked especially comfortable playing the deep ball and fading routes off the press, which is very nice to see. Notre Dame has struggled over the past few seasons in fading and playing the ball with its back to the quarterback, including with Julian Love and Troy Pride. Tucker who already shows an aptitude for this part of the game is a huge plus.
Playing the ball when it is thrown with the defenders on its back is one of the most difficult aspects to master, and in his most outstanding film, Tucker has examples where he executes both turning his head and finding the ball and touching the receiver without looking back. . I tell you, this is an art, and it is teachable to a certain extent, but for some it is natural.
He’s also not scared of the line if he misses his jam, he just changes his technique and wins by playing from the receiver’s hip pocket. In this next clip, you’ll see him fail, bounce back, slip into the receiver’s pocket, and undermine this slim post for an interception.
He also plays a bit offensively, always a good thing in my opinion, and shows good hands and ball skills on the catcher. Unlike other corners, Ramon Henderson, for example, Tucker is not a level catcher for Notre Dame, so his offensive clips are good illustrations of how he’ll go up and get the ball when it’s thrown at him.
He’ll hit you, too, shows good aggressiveness in the running game, and there’s a clip of him crushing someone on a kick-off that looks nasty.
Where it fits
Tucker to me is to see the field as a sophomore, it starts as a junior type player. It may take a full year to get used to competing against the top 10 at the FBS level, but once the body is full and physically ready, there is something Mickens can work with. Generally speaking, I like that Notre Dame is looking for a certain guy and that they’re getting bigger. Size and speed have always been winning combinations in football, that’s what Notre Dame is looking for, and that’s what Tucker brings.
