Ellijah Shumate Commits to Notre Dame: Where Does He Fit in a Crowded Secondary?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are losing quite of bit of experience this season on both sides of the ball. Although at least on defense, there really aren't any worries because this recruiting class has been very kind to Notre Dame.

They landed two of the top cornerbacks in the country in Ronald Darby and Tee Shapard. They also got a top 20 safety in C.J. Promise.

During today's US Army All-American Game, they added another weapon to the secondary in Ellijah Shumate who is rated as a top safety on nearly every recruiting site.

Shumate is a big boy at 6'0", 200 pounds and has the ability to play linebacker or even cornerback. He's a very physical player that has become great at shedding blocks at the line of scrimmage. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and can become a ball hawk if he's used properly in the right defense.

The question now is, where does he fit?

We know he is extremely talented, but the Irish have a talented recruiting class coming in and several of them will be competing for playing time. Particularly in the secondary. Every one of the starters in the secondary for the Irish this year are seniors.

With this class being so top heavy on the defensive side of the ball, Shumate will have to work to earn playing time. He will fit in quite nicely at the safety position but with 3-star players and up all on the depth chart, his starting spot isn't secured.

The Irish may be losing a lot of talent this season, but there is a lot more to replace it.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]