Why Thomas Harper is the 21st most important Notre Dame player in 2023
Notre Dame losing TaRiq Bracy could prove to be a perfect example of the old adage, “You don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” He’s not entirely irreplaceable, but it sure will be difficult to make due without him.
Enter the man who’s the most likely to give filling in Bracy’s shoes a go; Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper is No. 21 in BlueandGold.com’s countdown of the 25 most important Notre Dame football players in 2023.
Why Harper is No. 21
The nickel corner spot is one of the most important of the 11 on the defensive side of the ball in this era of ball. Even though it’s not an every-down staple — it’s obsolete when teams elect to employ a traditional 4-3 front instead of a 4-2-5 — the nickel corner position is ultra important when facing teams with pass-heavy offenses or teams with athletic pass-catching personnel.
Or, as is often the case these days, both.
Bracy played 527 defensive snaps in 2022 according to Pro Football Focus, which was the sixth-most of any Notre Dame player on defense. Three-hundred and 95 of them were in the slot. The only players ahead of Bracy on the total snaps list were two senior linebackers in Marist Liufau and JD Bertrand, the two starting outside corners in Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart and NFL-bound edge rusher Isaiah Foskey.
That’s good company.
Bracy turned in a season-long PFF tackling grade of 81.8. Only three of his teammates had better marks; Foskey, Jack Kiser and Houston Griffith. This article isn’t supposed to be all about a player who has departed from the program, but the Bracy fodder is necessary to paint the picture of what Harper, who is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, is getting into in trying to replace him.
Harper played 397 defensive snaps in seven games for the Cowboys last season before going down with his injury. Two-hundred and 59 of those were in the slot. His PFF tackling grade of 56.9 needs some work, as does his coverage grade of 65.2. Bracy’s figure in the latter category wasn’t much better at 66.7, though. It’s hard to turn in a magnificent score in that area guarding the opponent’s quickest, shiftiest receiver on most downs.
But that’s what Notre Dame is likely going to ask Harper to do, and that’s why he comes in at No. 21 in this rankings rundown.
What a successful season would look like for Notre Dame’s Harper
Harper isn’t the only one in the running to be Notre Dame’s nickel man.
When Harper was sitting out of spring practices to continue rehabbing his shoulder, Clarence Lewis did an admirable job as the team’s No. 1 slot corner. Jaden Mickey was once seen as the future of Notre Dame’s nickel position even though he only played 15 of his 248 defensive snaps as a true freshman in the slot. His best path to playing time might be trying to swipe the nickel job from Harper and Lewis. He’ll back up Morrison and Hart on the outside, but he’s still got a chance to play inside some too.
For Harper to make good on his transfer campaign, he’s going to have to fend off incumbent suitors to start at nickel. If he does so throughout the season, and follows in Bracy’s productive footsteps, it will be a successful season in South Bend for the Knoxville, Tenn., native.
Behind the ranking
The top 25 was determined in the same manner as the Associated Press Top 25. Five BlueandGold.com staff members submitted their ballots, and each position on the ballot was given a point value. The top ranking was worth 25 points, No. 2 was worth 24, No. 3 worth 23 and so on down until No. 25, which was worth one point. The players with the 25 highest point totals made the list.
Talent and the projected depth chart were key foundations for the poll, but voters placed a premium on these questions: 1) If you subtracted this individual from the roster, how much of a setback would it be? 2) If this less proven player emerges and makes an impact, how much does that raise the ceiling (or lower it, if a breakout does not happen as expected)?
Individual rankings
Jack Soble: No. 12
Tyler Horka: No. 14
Steve Downey: 23
Kyle Kelly: No. 25
Todd Burlage: NR
BlueandGold.com’s Notre Dame top 25 so far
No. 21: Graduate student defensive back Thomas Harper
No. 22: Sophomore offensive guard Billy Schrauth
No. 23: Junior wide receiver Deion Colzie
No. 24: Graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau
No. 25: Freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse
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