Throughout the many phases of the pre-draft process, unheralded prospects often rise to the surface, utilizing the immense platform to impress NFL brass. While most positional rankings have already been established, there are always players who emerge late in the process. Notre Dame cornerback Troy Pride Jr. is among that exclusive contingent of prospects, effectively piecing together a strong draft cycle to put himself in the conversation as a worthy top-10 cornerback candidate in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The two-sport athlete
For Pride Jr., football and track have always gone hand-in-hand.
Growing up in Greer, South Carolina, a suburb of Greenville, Pride got involved in the two sports at age seven, and it wasn’t long before he evolved into a standout running back for the Taylors Falcons and dominated the AAU level of track and field.
Despite his affinity for track and field, however, Pride always aspired to play in the NFL.
“Initially, my dream was to be an NFL running back,” Pride recalled. “I felt that was what I was destined to do.”
It wasn’t until he reached the high school level that he found his calling on the other side of the ball.
Playing for Riverside High School (Greer, SC), Pride became a two-way standout at running back and cornerback as a freshman, before ultimately becoming a varsity starter at safety the following season. Pride’s sophomore season didn’t go as planned, however, as the Warriors team plummeted to an 0-11 record.
Opting for greener pastures, Pride transferred to Greer High School, where the formidable Yellow Jackets proceeded to amass back-to-back undefeated seasons for the first time in school history. Pride, who started at cornerback for those two seasons, also spent time at wide receiver and filled a multitude of roles as a senior.
Pride’s success wasn’t solely limited to the gridiron; the dual-sport phenom won a State Championship in the 400-meter dash as a junior, and cleaned up in virtually every category his senior year, earning four gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dash, as well as the 4 x 100-meter relay.
Pride began to generate interest in recruiting circles for football as early as his junior season, with his first offer coming from Virginia Tech. After not hearing much from schools in the weeks that followed, Pride wasn’t sure what to make of his lone offer and brushed it off.
“I didn’t really notice it until I started getting called to the office every other period,” Pride said. “Coaches wanting to talk to me, people wanting to sit down to talk to me. I’m like, ‘This is crazy, I’ve never experienced this.’ I remember sitting in lunch and hearing people say, ‘South Carolina coaches are here,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s cool.’ And they’re like, ‘They’re here to see Troy.’ It kind of dawned me, and at that point, I’m like, ‘Okay, this is serious.'”
With over a dozen institutions to choose from, Pride chose Notre Dame over the likes of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Clemson.
“Notre Dame was obviously different,” Pride said. “But, it was really different for me; just the love that they showed from the beginning, getting my offer in May and the continued conversation. I visited up there for the USC game and it was just a wonderful experience for my family and I.”
Four years in South Bend
Despite the high expectations that he set for himself, Pride’s freshman campaign didn’t get off to the start he envisioned.
“Initially, I was on a redshirt program,” Pride said. “Didn’t travel for the first four games, didn’t really dress with the varsity. But then, from there on out, I ended up starting three games my freshman year.”
All told, Pride appeared in eight games for the Fighting Irish in 2016, totaling 12 tackles and a fumble recovery on the season.
“There’s a learning curve, usually,” Pride admitted. “I hit mine pretty much the fourth or fifth game into my freshman season, where the game started to slow down for me and I had the opportunity to play and affect games.”
With the 2016 season producing one of the worst records Notre Dame had faced over the previous two decades, changes were undoubtedly on the horizon. That change came in the form of new strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis.
“Coach Balis came in and for sure changed everything,” Pride said. “Brought a new attitude, brought a new swagger to our program. That encompassed me waking up at 5:00 A.M. for workouts, going to class until about 2:00, and then topping it all off with some track practice until about 8:00 or 9:00.”
Though Pride initially struggled with the adjustment, the budding cornerback worked through the adversity, learning how to effectively manage his time in order to juggle a full workload.
“It was tough,” Pride admitted. “Trying to eat between classes and get my recovery in from football and making sure I’m ready to run track meets — it was a lot. But I thank that experience because it’s made me be able to handle just about any adversity that I could face.”
Balis’ impact extended beyond the football field. Remaining diligent with his offseason regimen, Pride put together a banner freshman season in track, qualifying for the 2017 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earning second-team All-ACC honors.
As the storied football program began its ascent towards prominence, the 5:00 A.M. workouts gradually turned into 8:00 A.M. workouts. If Pride had an 8:00 A.M. class, he would come in at 10:00. After classes, it was straight to track practice.
As a sophomore, Pride qualified for the 2018 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he established personal bests in the 100-meter dash (10.50) and 200-meter dash (21.16). He also ran a personal-best 6.73 60-meter dash in the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
On the gridiron, Pride solidified his spot in the Fighting Irish secondary by his junior year, compiling 47 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble over 12 games.
Approaching his senior season, Pride significantly scaled back his track training, running just one indoor meet during the offseason. Instead, he focused solely on football.
Transitioning from field cornerback to boundary cornerback, Pride vigorously worked to add size to his slender frame, in order to withstand the rigors that often come with playing the position.
“Our system is predicated on where the ball is placed on the field,” Pride explained. “So there’s a field corner and a boundary corner. The boundary corner is on the shorter hash side of the field. In our system, he plays more press-man, a lot of quarterbacks’ first-read, a lot of quick throws, a lot of individual routes — even some run fits. The field corner is to the wider side of the field, kind of delegating that whole side with the safety and the rover. [He’s] obviously protecting the rover on different passing concepts, as well as playing a lot of man-coverage and off-man. Not as much run fits, but making a lot of calls and checks.”
Playing in all 13 games, Pride produced 40 tackles, an interception, and six pass breakups.
Pride received an invite to the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl for his efforts, where his standout week was sparked by a little extra motivation:
“Talking to my mother,” Pride said, “she’s been continuously watching the Senior Bowl. Her idea for me was: Don’t get beat in 1-on-1s, because that’s where everybody’s watching. So, I kind of took that, as much as I could, to the field.”
With his mother’s words of wisdom in mind, Pride’s confidence was apparent from the first practice. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound cornerback forced each wide receiver he drew in coverage to match his level of intensity.
Pride’s sound technique and hand usage routinely frustrated receivers at the line of scrimmage, while his quickness in transition enabled him to closely mirror his opponent’s every move. Often times, Pride would run the route for the receiver, while staying in his hip pocket throughout the pattern.
“I felt that I won more matchups than I lost,” Pride added. “I had some great reps, and for the most part, it was a great week.”
2020 NFL Scouting Combine
After giving his body a few days to recover from the strenuous week in Mobile, Alabama, Pride shifted his focus to the most grueling phase of the pre-draft process: the NFL Scouting Combine.
Training at Michael Johnson Performance in Dallas, Texas, Pride now had a new regimen to abide by.
His day typically consisted of waking up around 7:30 each morning and arriving at the facility around 8:00. Following the morning stretch circuit, “speed school” — which included sleds, ladders, and a myriad of tools used to engage the fast-twitch muscles — was next on the agenda. Pride would then get his track work in, stretch, and take a two-hour break. He optimized the extended rest period to grab some lunch and the occasional twenty-minute nap to recharge, before returning for the afternoon lifting session.
As the arduous training progressed, Pride’s lofty Combine goals began to come into focus.
“I want to run a 4.2 40,” Pride said. “I just know what I’ve been working for, the technique that I have — obviously a little bit of a track background. I’m going for it all; I want to be on that shortlist of individuals that ran a 4.2; that’s one of my biggest goals. But, also, another goal is to be first, or top-five percentile, in three out of the six events.”
NFL outlook for Troy Pride Jr.
“I’m going to bring a competitive nature; an individual that’s going to persevere, that’s going to work, and that’s going to accumulate results. Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve succeeded, and I want to continue that.”
Coming off an eye-opening Senior Bowl performance, Pride has surged up NFL boards over the past month, positioning himself as a top-10 cornerback.
Pride’s unique blend of elite foot quickness, instincts, football intelligence, and the discipline to trust his technique is what makes him a premier cover man in this year’s class, but it’s his competitive nature and willingness to take on any obstacle in front of him that sets him apart from the rest of the field.
Football and track have always gone hand-in-hand for Pride, and it could ultimately be his track background that enables Pride to close the gap between himself and the competition for good.