'23 MO CB Christian Gray (Notre Dame Signee)

[IRISHDODGER]

Tae Johnson needs to be the FS. They have been as bad at safety as they have been at corner.

The Toney TD on Hobbs, Talich can’t flip his hips to rotate, doesn’t get proper depth. The Concepcion deep ball on Zackey, Stroman is late to help. The Craver TD, Stroman bites on it being to the flat.

Stroman has been a disappointment or at the very least a non-factor.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Hugely important for Purdue to be a game where we can get the young DBs some good minutes - a luxury they haven't had with the front loaded schedule.

 

[mrmcgrail]

Tae has to be at fs that's his best position and a position of weakness for the team. Last year watts covered up a lot of grays mistakes because you could have a side shut down with Moore or BMO and have him over the top. Plus Clark was great in the slot and great on run support from it. You have to get smith on the field as the nickel and let shuler play more robber which is what he excelled at last year

 

[Kingbish01]

I am not sure what happened to him since the USC game last year but he has not been good a football.

Also don't forget he didn't have some great game against USC. Great play...yes, but game...NO, he was picked on all day. Dudes a liability at corner. Hopefully they can get some young guys some reps soon.

 

[ulukinatme]

Also don't forget he didn't have some great game against USC. Great play...yes, but game...NO, he was picked on all day. Dudes a liability at corner. Hopefully they can get some young guys some reps soon.

I tried to point that out last year, and people acted like that was crazy talk. The long INT return was amazing, yes, but he was absolutely picked on up to that point. As a result it was a closer game than it should have been. I also said at the time, regardless of scheme, he should have never been the one matched up on Jeremiah Smith in the championship. It should have been Moore.

 

[Dale]

I tried to point that out last year, and people acted like that was crazy talk.

Yeah this isn’t what originally happened. You instantly bumped this thread the second the national championship was over. It was the context, not the crime.

 

[ulukinatme]

Yeah this isn’t what originally happened. You instantly bumped this thread the second the national championship was over. It was the context, not the crime.

It was the truth, and that ain't no crime. I'm pullin' for Gray, but his play is all kinds of inconsistent.

 

[SportsingHard]

Tae Johnson needs to be the FS. They have been as bad at safety as they have been at corner.

The Toney TD on Hobbs, Talich can’t flip his hips to rotate, doesn’t get proper depth. The Concepcion deep ball on Zackey, Stroman is late to help. The Craver TD, Stroman bites on it being to the flat.

I see you're not alone using this notation, but it may be worth noting that "FS" is ambiguous at best in 2025. Simplified safety glossary:

Strong safety: thumper on wide side (outdated position/term)
Free safety: cover guy on short side (outdated position/term)
Boundary safety: thumper on short side
Field safety: cover guy on wide side

I haven't seen enough to know who should be starting, but Tae is indeed a field safety, in theory and in practice.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Hugely important for Purdue to be a game where we can get the young DBs some good minutes - a luxury they haven't had with the front loaded schedule.

I wouldn’t hold my breath but it would be a nice reprieve before another tough road game.

 

[BeatSC]

Talking mouths/typing fingers buddies kept chirping about the PSU pick and the pick 6 at USC last year.

Fair. Those were historic plays within our history. But he’s had a ton of bad, too. USC picked his ass apart last year. Before and after that pick 6.

And remember that Watts had to bail his out, again, with his own 100 yd pick 6.

He’s average

Guy is small short and slow? Usually with someone his size you get some speed and quickness. Thought he used to tackle well for his size. Not anymore. Can’t anyone play CB? Tai Johnson? I’m missing urlacher.

 

[BeatSC]

He's a liability against teams that have 2 great WR's watch him ball out the rest of the year but then get tore up against USC. If he doesn't figure it out he's gonna be getting passed by some of the hungry Freshman or Adams coming in if he sticks.

Haven’t we seen enough to know he will be exposed again and again? Leonard got his chance last year and let’s find the next version of him.

 

[FWIrish4]

Really the entire point of having Moore as your boundary CB is he can lock his WR, his third himself. So the over the top safety should be helping Gray on deep balls, Hobbs on crossers. The underneath safety should be helping Hobbs. I don’t know where the safeties are half the time they could be doing this. In no man’s land.

Came here to say the same thing.

If you’re refusing to move Moore around to follow their best receiver and let the offense pick and choose their matchups away from the boundary, this needs to be the strategy.

 

[Free Manera]

Gray basically can't play if he doesn't have help over the top. I don't know if it's technique in turning his hips, lack of speed, or all in his head, but if the receiver runs a go, Gray is beat.

His tackle attempt on that first TD was something that gets a 7U player yelled at. The receiver was basically stopped by Stroman. Bend your freaking knees and make a proper tackle. If you are too hurt to wrap up then you can't play.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Gray basically can't play if he doesn't have help over the top. I don't know if it's technique in turning his hips, lack of speed, or all in his head, but if the receiver runs a go, Gray is beat.

His tackle attempt on that first TD was something that gets a 7U player yelled at. The receiver was basically stopped by Stroman. Bend your freaking knees and make a proper tackle. If you are too hurt to wrap up then you can't play.

The guy from Penn State who puts out film on twitter can't think of his name now but I watched it he went over how basically the mistakes the secondary is making is all technique. He showed 3 examples where Gray turned his body opposite way the WR was going which made it easy for the WR to be wide open, same thing with Zackary when he gave up the 50 yard pass, he turned his hips the wrong way.

 

[Free Manera]

The guy from Penn State who puts out film on twitter can't think of his name now but I watched it he went over how basically the mistakes the secondary is making is all technique. He showed 3 examples where Gray turned his body opposite way the WR was going which made it easy for the WR to be wide open, same thing with Zackary when he gave up the 50 yard pass, he turned his hips the wrong way.

Landon Tengwall? Yeah he's great I'll have to find that. I didn't realize he did analysis of stuff beyond line play.

 

[PutuporShutup]

Gray basically can't play if he doesn't have help over the top. I don't know if it's technique in turning his hips, lack of speed, or all in his head, but if the receiver runs a go, Gray is beat.

His tackle attempt on that first TD was something that gets a 7U player yelled at. The receiver was basically stopped by Stroman. Bend your freaking knees and make a proper tackle. If you are too hurt to wrap up then you can't play.

He does NOT turn his hips well, and has poor recovery speed. I think he has to be very mentally fragile as well, he's gotten smoked now 3 games in a row.

You couple his issues with the poor technique that Tengwall shows in his video, and you have a corner that is playing bad.

To me, i get the sense Gray WANTS to make big plays vs just doing his job. Add to that his terrible penalties as well, he's an issue.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Landon Tengwall? Yeah he's great I'll have to find that. I didn't realize he did analysis of stuff beyond line play.

Yes that is him he posted it on twitter it was actually pretty good stuff he did one on our OL after the Miami game.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Gray basically can't play if he doesn't have help over the top. I don't know if it's technique in turning his hips, lack of speed, or all in his head, but if the receiver runs a go, Gray is beat.

His tackle attempt on that first TD was something that gets a 7U player yelled at. The receiver was basically stopped by Stroman. Bend your freaking knees and make a proper tackle. If you are too hurt to wrap up then you can't play.

Agreed. I heard Flammang saying the same thing. Kid is a good CB & doesn’t lack speed but for some reason he gets smoked on Go routes.

 

[EvilleIrish]

Rumor on IB that he's debating surgery for his shoulder injury.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

When it rains it pours

 

[IrishFanForever23]

It's obvious he's been playing hurt. I thought it was a shoulder when he went down at Miami, but they made it sound like he got hit in the throat, but that made no sense at all when watching the replay. The tackle attempt or whatever that was along the sideline against A&M was obvious he didn't want to put his shoulder into the tackle.

 

[PutuporShutup]

Zackery, golden, Thomas, minich lets see what you got.

Gray didn't make a single play vs A&M. An 80% gray can NOT be out there.

 

[NDPhilly]

Sitting for 2 weeks didn’t seem to help that much.

 

[pumpdog20]

Get it done now, come back ready to rock next year.

 

[EvilleIrish]

I normally would never say this...but it's clearly bothering him a ton...could a back up honestly be that much worse?

 

[PutuporShutup]

Hot take (these never work) - If Gray and or Moore sit for any significant time, Cree Thomas starts getting PT and becomes our obvious 2nd best CB.

 

[NDFAN2008]

I'd get the surgery now, he saves a year of eligibility. Lets face it Gray being able to play isn't going to make or break us this year. It will allow us to develop more depth for next year.

 

[NDFAN2008]

If you are going to start playing the freshman (Thomas, Zackary, Golden) the best time is now. You get purdue then they will get tested against Ark

 

[SDIrishFan]

Whose the next freshmen AA corner that gets to step up this year?

 

[knight2017]

When it rains it pours

Did he get hurt? I may be missing a post here.