When it comes to Notre Dame football, the secondary has recently become a breeding ground for young stars who’ve made impacts before many projected they would. From Benjamin Morrison’s breakout performances in 2022 to Leonard Moore’s impressive debut as a true freshman last year, the Fighting Irish have had a knack for uncovering talent ready to make instant impacts under secondary coach Mike Mickens. This spring, Irish eyes are turning to Cree Thomas, a freshman cornerback who has been making waves this spring and could be the next true freshman standout corner for the Irish.
Hailing from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona – the same school that produced Morrison – Thomas has quickly shown that he’s ready to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. He is already drawing comparisons to his fellow Brophy College Prep alum from his teammates.
Cree Thomas’s Journey to Notre Dame
Thomas followed in Morrison’s footsteps to Notre Dame after receiving offers from the likes of Oregon, Wisconsin, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Boston College, and Purdue. He visited Notre Dame several times throughout the process, though, and committed to Notre Dame early in the fall of 2023 before signing with the Irish. While Morrison came to Notre Dame as a 4-star prospect, Thomas had a much more modest recruiting pedigree.
His rankings across the major services were:
- 247Sports: Composite rating of 0.8892, ranked 468th natonally, 43rd among cornerbacks, and 5th in Arizona.
- On3: Industry Rating of 88.67, positioned 508th nationally, 50th at his position, and 5th in the state.
- Rivals: Rated as a 5.8 prospect, ranked 36th at his position and 4th in Arizona.
Like Morrison, he wasn’t the highest-rated defensive back in his own class. Both Dallas Golden and Zachery IV were more highly ranked.
Gray played with Morrison the last three years after they arrived at Notre Dame together in 2022, so he would know. Gray was actually the higher-ranked recruit, but Morrison forced his way onto the field in 2022 and never left after he almost single-handedly shut down Clemson in Notre Dame’s upset win over the Tigers. Gray is now the elder statesman of the secondary, looking to build off his up-and-down junior season that saw the highest of highs in the Orange Bowl and the lowest of lows in the National Championship.
If Gray is right, Notre Dame could be in line for a loaded secondary. Morrison picked off six passes with four pass breakups, including a touchdown return against Clemson in 2022. Moore played in all 16 games for the Irish last year, picking off two interceptions and racking up 11 pass breakups.
What kind of role could Thomas play in 2025?
Moore and Gray are locked in as starters at the outside corner positions, and Alabama transfer Devonta Smith is a safe bet to start at the nickel position. Unseating any of the three seems unlikely, even if Thomas is turning heads already this spring.
Moore wasn’t expected to play a significant role in 2024 either, before Morrison was lost for the season due to injury. Moore made his first career start against Louisville, and his stock skyrocketed from there to the point that he is considered one of the top returning cornerbacks in the country this season. Like Thomas, Moore wasn’t a highly heralded recruit before turning heads when he arrived on campus.
Morrison forced his way onto the field in 2022 without an injury, opening the door, but the cornerback position was not nearly as strong then as it is now, with Gray and Moore providing Notre Dame a dynamic duo as the starting corners.
Mike Mickens’ development is on display again
Cornerback had been a challenge for years for Notre Dame before the arrival of Mickens in 2020. Still, Mickens’ development work, particularly with young players like Morrison and Moore, has changed Notre Dame’s fortunes in the secondary. Under Mickens’ coaching, Moore and Morrison both shone as true freshmen, and the secondary has flourished. Notre Dame finished both 2023 and 2024 as the top-ranked defense in the country in pass defense efficiency – a far cry from the days of Notre Dame secondaries getting torched in years past.
Thomas looks like the next in line in Mickens’ development success. What that looks like in terms of production this fall could be different than what we’ve seen from Morrison and Moore during their freshman seasons because of Mickens’s work in building depth in the secondary. It does look, however, like Notre Dame might have their diamond in the rough find in the secondary.
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