Notre Dame's 193-Pound Nickel Thomas Harper Brings “Twitch and Violence”

Marcus Freeman opened Saturday’s practice with one-on-one reps in the red zone, shouting out wide receiver-versus-defensive back matchups. After a few reps, he called upon safety Thomas Harper to cover Notre Dame slot receiver Chris Tyree, one of college football’s fastest players.  Tyree stumbled on an inside move and Harper jumped the route for an easy pass breakup.  “CT is a speedster,” Harper said. “He’s more like a Tyreek Hill-type. He’s going to outrun you. You’ve got to be careful with him in space. He can cut off angles and stuff like that.” Harper looked strong in the first rep he took in front of the media in full pads at Notre Dame, despite arriving on campus in January.  In November, the Oklahoma State graduate transfer underwent right shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, which sidelined him during the first few weeks of spring ball and prevented him from participating in full-contact drills. During this time, he prioritized his recovery, became a second safeties coach and mastered Al Golden’s defensive schemes. The latter proved challenging to learn given the wide variety of coverage Notre Dame employs compared to Oklahoma State.  “It was hard, but at the end of the day
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