DERRIK ALLEN
Lassiter High School; Marietta, Ga.
Measurements: 6’1”, 204 lbs.
Accolades: Consensus four-star; No. 7 safety per rivals.com, No. 8 prospect in Georgia and No. 66 in country; U.S. Army All-American.
Other Notable Offers: Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State.
Projected Position: Safety.
Quick Take: Strong and confident when moving forward, Allen is already a physical safety not afraid to make an aggressive play on the ball. In time, his overall coverage will need to improve.
Short-Term Roster Outlook: Notre Dame needs an influx of performance at the safety position. Whoever can provide it will immediately see playing time. Allen may not be as likely a candidate for that as fellow commit Houston Griffith, but a surprise in preseason practice could make Allen that option from day one.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: As should be the case with many athletic, young defenders, Allen will be counted on for special teams contributions from the outset. Aside from that, he will have a quick chance to move up the safety depth chart. There could also be a foreseeable day — with just a touch of speculation here — when he fills the rover (linebacker) role against a pass-happy defense. He is physical enough to play in the box but would then provide a safety’s coverage on a slot receiver or multi-faceted tight end, perhaps.
Putting the 🖊 to paper, making it official. @DsmoothAllen will be electric in the Irish backfield. #GoIrish ☘ #IrishBouND18 pic.twitter.com/5pyvGcOVtI
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 20, 2017
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