By any metric you choose to use, Notre Dame's secondary currently ranks among the best in the country. Surefire future NFL first round pick Benjamin Morrison and last years Bronco Nagurski award winner Xavier Watts headline a group that is allowing a shade under 165 yards passing per game. Both Morrison and Watts will be playing on Sundays come next season, leaving a talented albeit generally unproven DB room behind. It is not easy to replace an All-American safety, and a true lock down cornerback is hard to come by, but it certainly softens the blow when you bring in the type of recruiting class in the secondary that Notre Dame will be rolling out in 2025.
Photo via Mark Zackery, Instagram (@markzackeryiv)
One of the crown jewels of the 2025 cycle for the Fighting Irish is 4-star Cornerback, Mark Zackery. The Indianapolis, Indiana product is the sixth ranked CB in the class and brings an extremely high ceiling. In my opinion, (and not just because I played it in high school) corner is the hardest position in football. You have to play with patience and anticipation, have a high football IQ, and must also be willing to come down and make tackles in run support. After getting a chance to watch film on Zackery, I am extremely encouraged that he possesses all of these traits in spades, and then some. Lets break down some of the main things that stood out. As always, the player's skills will be evaluated on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 7 (Elite).
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Athletic Ability : Very good (6)
Zackery possesses incredible closing speed. Has rare stop and start ability, showing he can drop his hips, transfer his weight, and drive on underneath passes. Very smooth in his backpedal, has very good hip fluidity, and his change of direction almost looks effortless. He shows plenty enough straight line speed to be left on an island and athletically is everything you want in a corner.
Mental Processing: Very Good (6)
This will somewhat tie into Zone Coverage ability, which I will get into next, but it only took me a few plays to see he plays with a very high football IQ and good understanding of the game. He also takes plenty of snaps at receiver, which no doubt contributes to his route recognition ability. Has great instincts and consistently reads and reacts on time, getting himself in position to make plays both in the passing game and in run support. For as long as Al Golden is around, Notre Dame will continue to implement multiple coverage looks, and someone with the football smarts of Zackery will have no problem learning them all.
Zone Coverage: Elite (7)
READ AND REACT. I mentioned it under Mental Processing, but worth mentioning it here again, because it is a huge part of playing Zone Coverage. Zackery does an incredible job of reading the Quarterback's eyes and reacting to what he sees. Plays with proper depth when in a Cover 2, allowing him to drive on routes to the flats, while also maintaining enough depth to drop underneath anything to the sidelines behind him. Good technique and leverage when in a Cover 3 look, and recognizes when to open up and carry anything vertical. Special player in Zone, and I really look forward to seeing him continue to polish this part of his game.
Man Coverage: Very Good (6)
If you want to be an elite corner at any level, you better be able to play some man coverage. Zackery shows good patience at the line of scrimmage, not overreacting to a receiver's initial jab step. Stays in phase all the way through the route, and is rarely not in the WR's hip pocket. Hovering around 170 pounds, will need to add some weight to his frame in order to consistently be able to play press, but that will come with a college weight lifting and diet program, so not a whole lot of concern there. Will occasionally open his hips too early, and due to his excellent recovery speed, it did not really hurt him too much to this point at the high school level, but against more polished D1 route runners, that extra second it takes to flip your hips the opposite way could be the difference between a complete and an incomplete pass. Overall, very good in this department as well, and should only get better with more repetition.
Ball Skills: Elite (7)
Being able to knock down a pass is good play, but being able to make the opposing QB pay by turning bad reads into turnovers is game changing. This is another area that also being a wide receiver certainly helps, because Zackery does this with relative ease. Has the ability to outjump receivers and high point the ball, as well as catching it in stride as if he was running the route himself. His speed in the open field will turn interceptions into pick 6's more times than not, and he is an absolute momentum changing player. This is one of those traits that can separate good from great players, and I'm sure is one thing that really stood out to Freeman and his staff when watching film.
Notre Dame will look to carry over the success it has had defending the pass as of late for years to come, and Mark Zackery figures to play a huge role in that. Along with fellow 2025 recruits such as Dallas Golden and Jadon Blair, South Bend will continue to be a no fly zone for opposing offenses, and a school synonymous with producing Offensive Linemen and Tight Ends will start to push schools like Ohio State for at least a share of the title of "Secondary U".
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