There wasn’t much suspense to this recruitment. Spencer Boyd, a 5’10” 175 lbs. cornerback from Cape Coral Florida, is Irish. While Boyd was planning on a press conference to announce his college of choice- some people were too eager to stand pat. His father was the first to come out and say that ND was the school that Spencer was committed to, and then his high school coach told Cape-Coral-Daily-Breeze.com that he spoke with Boyd and Spencer said he was Irish.
So I’m pretty confident that I can write about his commitment 12 hours before he does so verbally/publicly.
Boyd is the 13th verbal commitment for the Fighting Irish’s incoming class of 2010. He is the second cornerback to have committed in this class after friend, Lo Wood, gave ND his pledge three weeks ago. In a class that has room for 3 corners, this commitment starts to really put some pressure on two other Irish prospects in Joshua Shaw and Cody Riggs. Both Shaw and Riggs hold some top-notch offers and both are scheduled to officially visit ND in the fall. (With Shaw’s size, he could be used as a safety as well).
Notre Dame is locking down some serious depth at cornerback. This is refreshing considering the lack of depth that ND had for about 4 years. Depth allows for competition, which allows for the best player playing, which allows for development and possibly an extra year of eligibility for those on the bottom end of the chart, which allows for depth. It’s an awesome circle, that allows programs to become very good for longer periods of time. WOO-HOO!
Welcome to ND Spencer!!!
ESPN evaluation of Spencer Boyd:
A natural athlete with good speed and ball skills, Boyd could likely get recruited on either side of the ball at the next level. Lean, rangy frame and will need to add size. Has longer arms for pressing and he utilizes them well extending to make plays in deep coverage as a defensive back. Knows how to position himself properly between the ball and the receiver. Shows good recovery quickness and burst. Soundly anticipates the throw and reads the quarterback. Breaks on the pass in front of him with good closing speed and direct angles to the ball. Good acceleration and makeup speed. Will stick you as a tackler and drive his hips through. Really has good form, particularly as an openfield tackler. Aggressive and has experience making reads down in the box. However, pedal is very high hindering transitional quickness and we did not see good cover corner technique on film. Can struggle getting off the stalk block when filling on run support and does not bring much explosiveness to the point of attack. Good ball-hawker and strong solo tackler who make a reliable last line of defense but he could struggle playing down in the box if employed at strong. Needs to work on filling out his narrow base and improving upper-body strength. Quick, smooth, fluid and fast with the ball in hands as a running back and return specialist adding to his upside. As a running back, he is very slippery to wrap up when he picks and slides his way through traffic showing very good vision, balance, hips and elusiveness. Gears down very little cutting laterally. Flashes a good downhill burst as well and his ability generate speed and momentum quickly through the hole allows him to break his fair share of initial contact. Does lack great in-line power at this time though and we question his in-line durability if asked to carry the load. Boyd projects more as a great change-of-pace, multi-purpose back in the spread with his great receiving skills, perimeter speed and ability run the zone effectively. A very good prospect who will add coveted versatility to the future roster he lands on.
Video of Boyd:
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