Notre Dame safeties coach Chris O’Leary has made a quick ascension up the totem pole on the defensive side of the football for the Irish. After graduating in 2014, O’Leary quickly made the transition to the coaching ranks. After a couple brief stops at Georgia State and Florida Tech in various roles, O’Leary landed with the Irish in 2018 in a defensive analyst role, focusing on defensive backs. Just three seasons later, he is now the safeties coach for Notre Dame, tutoring the likes of former Irish star Kyle Hamilton. The future of the safety position has been a big talking point this off-season, and O’Leary needs to make a big splash on the recruiting trail after not serving as the lead recruiter for any of the 2022 signees.It’s been a strong start for O’Leary since the calendar turned to 2022. Irvington (N.J.) High School standout Adon Shuler committed last fall, but the new year started with a commitment from Denton (Texas) Guyer star Peyton Bowen, and Northwestern All-American safety Brandon Joseph committed to the Irish a week later.Priority number one for O’Leary will be keeping Bowen and Shuler in the class, with Bowen being the biggest concern. The nation’s No. 49 overall player in the country according to On3, Bowen is being heavily pursued by programs all over the country, and Oklahoma appears to be a legitimate player for Bowen.Bowen is the type of rangy free safety on the backend who brings some high upside in pass coverage. The 6-1 185 pounder brings dynamic ability that will be a welcomed addition to the secondary. With the presence of Bowen, Shuler has become an underrated presence in the class, sitting as a near consensus Top 200 recruit nationally. Shuler brings a steady brand of physicality to the position, running the alley with extremely bad intentions. He is also a good all around athlete who has a knack for making plays on the football.This strong start allows O’Leary to focus hard on keeping the current commits in the class. If that is all he does the remainder of the recruiting cycle that’s a big win, but it also allows him to narrow down his board of uncommitted players in hopes of adding another top-flight recruit to the class.The biggest name, and the dream addition, would be Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek five-star Caleb Downs. The younger brother of North Carolina star receiver Joshua Downs, Caleb is the type of difference maker on the backend that changes a program’s fortunes. From a skill set perspective, there aren’t a lot of holes in Downs’ game. The odds to land a player like Downs will not be in Notre Dame’s favor but with Bowen and Shuler already in the class, O’Leary has the opportunity to shoot for the stars. Not quite as heralded, but still incredibly talented, are players like West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West defensive back Malik Hartford and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas playmaker King Mack. Hartford is a long and athletic piece on the backend at 6-3 and 175 pounds. He brings a smooth all around profile that could serve in a variety of roles on the backend for the Irish. Mack, on the other hand, is a true free safety type with notable range working from depth. A bit of a smaller frame at 5-11 and 180 pounds, Mack makes up for his marginal size with his playmaking ability. The great news is that O’Leary and the staff do not have to force the issue if they are not comfortable with taking a third safety. Recruiting at the position has already been huge thus far in the 2023 recruiting cycle. As the momentum continues, O’Leary manages to alleviate any questions about his impact on the trail. The prowess as a young coach is already of note, and the impact on the trail is following suit. Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions LoungeIrish Breakdown ContentNotre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 ScheduleRanking The 2022 Signees – Offense
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