Notre Dame’s recruiting class grew to 21 on Christmas Eve, as South Carolina defensive back Troy Pride Jr. committed to the Irish on Thursday afternoon. Picking Notre Dame over offers from South Carolina, North Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Ole Miss and a previous commitment to Virginia Tech, Pride Jr. is the seventh defensive back in the class, closing up a position group that was a point of emphasis in this cycle.
Pride took to Twitter today to make the move official.
Merry Christmas🤑🎄 pic.twitter.com/k0g9nF3jKX
— Troy Pride Jr. (@TroyPride18) December 24, 2015
The six-foot, 170-pound coverman visited Notre Dame in mid-October, taking his official visit to watch the Irish beat USC. After walking away from his commitment to the Hokies, Pride kicked the tires on multiple schools—with a late offer by Clemson piquing Pride’s interest—before ultimately deciding to take the last defensive back spot in the class. He has no plans to make any other visits.
“That was why I took my time with the process,” Pride told Tom Loy of Irish 247. “I wanted to end it when I made my commitment. I took my time, thought about everything, and realized that my future is at the University of Notre Dame.”
Pride will take part in the Shrine Bowl before signing with the Irish in February.