A downhill safety who got to campus early, freshman Spencer Perry is another talented youngster looking to impact Notre Dame’s secondary. A Georgia native who played at the IMG Academy, Perry is another Autry Denson recruit, going into one of the premier programs in the Sunshine State and leaving with the team’s top running back and safety.
With legit size and good pedigree, Perry looks like a strong safety candidate who can come down into the box and run the alleys. After getting a taste of the defense this spring, he’ll enter a depth chart packed with young talent as he competes for playing time this fall.
SPENCER PERRY
6'2", 204 lbs.
Freshman, No. 31, S
RECRUITING PROFILE
A three-star prospect, Perry was a one-time Florida commitment before flipping to Notre Dame after seeing campus. While he missed the majority of his senior season of high school with a shoulder injury, he was a well-regarded recruit with offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson and Auburn as well.
Perry camped at Notre Dame and participated in the Irish Invasion, committing a week later after loving everything about the school—including the pitch he got from Todd Lyght.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
It was fellow freshman Devin Studstill who stole the headlines for his quick grasp of the defense, but Perry certainly doesn’t get penalized because he looked like an early-enrollee freshman who didn’t play most of his senior season in high school. Especially with the size and athleticism he possesses.
With Drue Tranquill, Avery Sebastian and a handful of other options on the back end, there’s no urgency for Perry to jump in and play, especially when he doesn’t profile as a free safety. That said, he should have a jump start on his fellow classmates, and that could pay dividends. With the offers Perry had before enrolling at Notre Dame, he’s a guy who should be better than a modest three-star ranking.
CRYSTAL BALL
I’m leaning towards a redshirt season for Perry, unless things go really wrong on the back end with injuries. While he could be a good special teams candidate, roster management might dictate terms here—giving him a chance to fight for playing time in the spring when Max Redfield and Avery Sebastian depart.
The real battle begins this spring, when Tranquill will be a senior and the majority of the safety position will all be in their first and second years of eligibility.
2016’s Irish A-to-Z
Josh Adams
Josh Barajas
Alex Bars
Asmar Bilal
Hunter Bivin
Grant Blankenship
Jonathan Bonner
Ian Book
Parker Boudreaux
Miles Boykin
Justin Brent
Devin Butler
Jimmy Byrne
Daniel Cage
Chase Claypool
Nick Coleman
Te’von Coney
Shaun Crawford
Scott Daly
Micah Dew-Treadway
Liam Eichenberg
Jalen Elliott
Nicco Feritta
Tarean Folston
Mark Harrell
Daelin Hayes
Jay Hayes
Tristen Hoge
Corey Holmes
Torii Hunter Jr.
Alizé Jones
Jamir Jones
Jarron Jones
Jonathan Jones
Tony Jones Jr.
Khalid Kareem
DeShone Kizer
Julian Love
Tyler Luatua
Cole Luke
Greer Martini
Jacob Matuska
Mike McGlinchey
Colin McGovern
Deon McIntosh
Javon McKinley
Pete Mokwuqh
John Montelus
D.J. Morgan
Nyles Morgan
Sam Mustipher
Quenton Nelson
Tyler Newsome
Adetokunbo Ogundeji
Julian Okwara
James Onwualu