Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 13 Thomas Harper, Oklahoma State graduate transfer safety/nickel back
Listed measurements: 5-foot-11, 195 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A graduate transfer, this will be Harper’s last season of eligibility, one available to him only because of the universal pandemic eligibility waiver.
Depth Chart: Harper looks like Notre Dame’s starting nickel back entering preseason practices, with senior Clarence Lewis probably his most proven challenger. If that plays out to be reality, Harper will effectively be an Irish starter given the nickel package is used more often than any other alignment in college football in 2023.
Recruiting: A shoulder injury cut short Harper’s 2022, so he did not need to wait until Oklahoma State had played a bowl game to consider entering the transfer portal. He committed to Notre Dame by early January, quickly shoring up one of the greatest Irish defensive concerns entering this offseason.
CAREER TO DATE
Harper began 2022 as a starting safety at Oklahoma State, making 30 tackles and picking off one pass. In each of his four seasons in Stillwater, Harper saw plenty of action, rather notable for a former two-star recruit. In fact, according to his recruiting profile on rivals.com, Oklahoma State was the only Power Five program to offer Harper a scholarship and one of just two FBS teams to do so, along with Navy.
RELATED READING: DB Thomas Harper mapping out Notre Dame future while on the mend
Harper then playing right away and on a team that finished the regular season in the top 25, at that, is a testament to the Cowboys’ evaluation process. Say what you will about Mike Gundy, his antics and his frequent faux pas, but Oklahoma State has won eight or more games in 12 of its last 15 years, quite a change for a program that had done so just 13 times in the previous 103 seasons.
(And no, that is not simply because teams play more games now. The Cowboys were regularly playing 12 games in the mid-70s and 10 games back into the 30s, not to mention an 11-game season in 1931 and a 12-game season in 1932. Blaming modern schedules for lessening such metrics is an argument that has never held up under scrutiny.)
HARPER’S STATS AT OKLAHOMA STATE
2019: 7 games; 13 tackles with one for loss.
2020: 30 tackles with one for loss and one interception, as well as three passes broken up and one fumble recovered.
2021: 11 games; 20 tackles with 1.5 for loss, as well as one pass broken up and one forced fumble.
2022: 7 games; 30 tackles with 1.5 for loss and one interception, as well as two passes broken up.
QUOTES
Harper likely will move around early in preseason practices to establish a foundational familiarity with the safety’s duties in Notre Dame’s defense in case he is needed there. The direct comparison to last year is TaRiq Bracy, a pound-for-pound strong veteran best suited for nickel duties but well-versed enough to fill in elsewhere if needed.
“He will be a little bit of a hybrid guy,” Irish safeties coach Chris O’Leary said in early April. “When you talk about losing TaRiq Bracy, who for us was unbelievable last year in what he did in the slot and blitzing and all that, Harper will fill in there. … Harper will be down there (in nickel) and play a little bit of safety for us, too.”
RELATED READING: Replacing Bracy: Notre Dame looks to the transfer portal and Thomas Harper
WHAT WAS SAID WHEN HARPER COMMITTED IN JANUARY
“Much of his coverage work has come in the slot, where Notre Dame has more depth but adding Harper could create flexibility. At nickel back, the Irish can turn to rising sophomore Jaden Mickey, otherwise the third or fourth cornerback behind classmate Benjamin Morrison, veteran Cam Hart and perhaps rising senior Clarence Lewis. …
“In addition to the depth and experience, Harper should also bring a physicality to Notre Dame’s secondary. That is part of why he has played so much slot in his career, quick enough at 5-foot-11 to keep up with faster receivers but strong enough at 180 pounds to be a presence against the run.”
2023 OUTLOOK
For quick context: Cornerback Benjamin Morrison took 611 snaps in 2022. Roughly speaking, 600 defensive snaps is a full-time player. Harper should take 300-400 this season.
The nickel package is not yet widely considered the base defense, and it will not show up on the depth chart as one. But it is in practice.
Harper should thus be looked at as a defensive starter and a crucial piece to Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden having a defense that offers varied threats from the same looks. If Harper can stick with most slot receivers and/or running backs in coverage while also standing up to the point of attack in the run game, then Golden can get creative in coverages among the more traditional defensive backs.
Bracy finished last season with 39 tackles including six for loss. That may be a bold stat line for Harper, given Notre Dame has more linebacker depth to lessen some of the nickel requirements on obvious rushing downs, but a third personal season with 30 tackles should be within reach.
DOWN THE ROAD
When graduate players transfer to Notre Dame, there is usually some lip service about the academic possibilities ahead of them and the chance to be part of the history of Irish football. The truth is, they want one more chance to impress NFL eyes while possibly competing for a national championship.
In that regard, Notre Dame’s scheduling habits are an attraction. There are 32 NFL front offices. They are busy. Giving them as many nationally-available chances to see you in your final year of college football is prudent, and doing it in varied time zones only furthers that cause.
“Notre Dame’s schedule is one of the hardest in the country every year,” Harper said in February when discussing why he chose the Irish. “They play ACC teams, Big Ten teams, Pac-12 teams, you get a little dose of every conference, which I don’t think there are too many other universities that can say that.”
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 47 Jason Onye, junior defensive tackle on the verge of playing time
No. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka, sophomore defensive end, former linebacker
No. 42 Nolan Ziegler, sophomore linebacker, Irish legacy
No. 41 Donovan Hinish, sophomore defensive tackle following in his brother’s footsteps
No. 40 Joshua Burnham, sophomore linebacker-turned-Vyper end
No. 38 Davis Sherwood, junior fullback/H-back, former walk-on
No. 34 Drayk Bowen, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, baseball infielder
No. 32 Spencer Shrader, South Florida transfer kicker
No. 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah, fifth-year defensive end
No. 29 Christian Gray, early-enrolled freshman cornerback coming off a knee injury
No. 29 Matt Salerno, sixth-year receiver, former walk-on
No. 27 JD Bertrand, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, possible captain
No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win
No. 24 Jack Kiser, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, most efficient defender
No. 24 Jadarian Price, sophomore RB, reportedly recovered from an Achilles injury
No. 23 Jaiden Ausberry, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, four-star recruit
No. 22 Ben Minich, early-enrolled freshman safety, four-star recruit
No. 22 Jeremiyah Love, incoming freshman running back, four-star recruit
No. 21 Adon Shuler, early-enrolled freshman safety coming off shoulder surgery
No. 20 Benjamin Morrison, sophomore cornerback, preseason All-American
No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star
No. 18 Steve Angeli, sophomore quarterback, competing for the backup role
No. 18 Chance Tucker, junior cornerback
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Rico Flores Jr., early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 16 Micah Bell, incoming freshman cornerback, speedy four-star recruit
No. 15 Ryan Barnes, junior cornerback
No. 14 Bryce McFerson, sophomore punter facing a challenge for a second straight year
No. 14 Braylon James, early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
