In the Film Room: Ayden Pouncey

Max Uretsky
May 11
5 min read

New Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash joined the Fighting Irish with an extensive and proven track record for molding secondary talent. He has over a decade of experience under his belt as a defensive backs coach at both the collegiate and NFL levels. Mike Mickens, who Notre Dame was able to retain on staff after missing out on the coordinator role himself, has also been coaching cornerbacks at various stops since 2013. In other words, there is a plethora of knowledge for Notre Dame's cornerbacks and safeties to absorb, as they look to remain among the top units in the country. It is a huge draw to have that much expertise to learn from at your disposal, and one of the newest additions to the 2026 cycle for the Blue and Gold, defensive back Ayden Pouncey, will certainly reap the benefits once he reaches South Bend.

Photo via Ayden Pouncey, X (@AydenPouncey)

Pouncey is a 4-star safety out of Winter Park, Florida, and is only the second defensive back to be committed in the 2026 class. A two-way player at the high school level, doubling as a WR, Pouncey could potentially fit multiple roles on the defensive side of the ball for Notre Dame, and there is high hope that the current coaching staff will be able to get the most out of him. I watched his Sophomore and Junior film, and came away both impressed and curious about how he will be used entering his final year of high school. I broke down all of his key traits and will grade them all out on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 7 (Elite). Let's get into it!

Ball Skills: Elite (7)

Pouncey has a very natural ability for tracking the ball in the air from both Man and Zone looks. He has excellent hands, which will lead to plenty of interceptions instead of just knockdowns. He consistently high points the ball right over the top of receivers and plucks it out of the air. Pouncey also does a good job of using his off-hand to disrupt passes at the catch point when he recognizes he can not get both hands on it. Because of his athletic ability, vision, and time spent as a return man, he is also a big-time threat to take forced turnovers back to the house. He has the type of game-changing capabilities that you want on the back end of your defense.

Man Coverage: Very Good (6)

The biggest difference between his Sophomore and Junior tape was how much more he was used as a cornerback and asked to line up in Man Coverage. The good news for Notre Dame fans is that he more than held his own, and this gives him major versatility. When lined up over slot receivers, he did an excellent job of mirroring off the line of scrimmage and staying in phase on in-breaking routes. As a perimeter defender, he showed excellent use of hands when in press, and at almost 6'3", he really knows how to use his length to his advantage. Pouncey does not allow a lot of separation at the top of routes and has the change of direction needed to stay in the hip pocket of WRs. His own time spent playing receiver also gives him a unique understanding of pattern recognition and is a huge advantage. When I originally sat down to watch his film, I did so with the intention of evaluating a safety, but based on his Junior film, he very well may end up being a cornerback at the next level. This is what makes his upcoming Senior season so intriguing, and I look forward to seeing if he remains on the outside or drops back to a more traditional safety role.

Range: Very Good (6)

When Pouncey is lined up at safety, he has zero issue covering a lot of ground from a single high look. He shows very quick read and reaction time when it comes to attacking routes up the seam from a Cover 1. He can also get from midfield to the sidelines in a hurry once he decides to break on a ball. As a split safety, he quickly gets over the top when the corner to his side is beat and can disrupt the pass and consistently be the last line of defense. His range potential even shows itself when he is in off coverage as a cornerback, with the way he can plant and drive on quick throws before blocks can even be set up.

Mental Processing: Elite (7)

When Pouncey is playing from a deep Zone, his processing speed is off the charts. He reads the QB's eyes and is breaking on routes well before the ball is thrown. When asked to play as a Cover 2 corner, Pouncey does an amazing job of reading the flats while sinking with enough depth to be able to make plays on short/intermediate out-breaking routes that the quarterback is trying to layer between him and the safety. He proficiently reads WR screens and quick throws to the sidelines and blows them up before they ever get started. Any player that can alternate between Zone and Man efficiently, looks like a corner and a safety, and can thrive on the offensive side of the ball has a high football IQ and will earn more opportunities from the coaching staff.

Run Support/Tackling: Solid (4)

Although I would not call this a strength of Pouncey's game, there were definitely visual improvements from year 2 to year 3. As a Junior, he was certainly more physical and played with more aggression against the run, but some issues still linger. One of the main things is his tackling mechanics. When he is 1 on 1 in space with a ball carrier, he is much more likely to just try to go low and throw his shoulder into an opposing player instead of actually wrapping up. On too many occasions, the ball carrier was able to fall forward and pick up extra yardage because Pouncey was not really stopping their momentum. Even though he is 6'3", he is only around 160 pounds, which may contribute to his style of tackling, but it is something to watch entering his senior season. I think if this area of his game were to remain relatively the same and he were to stick at safety, he adds much more value as a free safety instead of being asked to play in the box, where run support becomes a much more crucial attribute.

Ayden Pouncey is rated a 91 on 247Sports. For reference, I have him graded slightly higher at 92. He is a talented addition to the Irish secondary and figures to carve out a role early in his college career due to his overall athletic profile, length, football IQ, and ball skills. With two of the brightest defensive back coaches in the game in Chris Ash and Mike Mickens, along with a defensive-minded Head Coach like Marcus Freeman, Pouncey could not have landed in a better spot for his development.