Film Room: Notre Dame Wide Receiver Offers Have Dynamic Skills
Since Mike Brown took over as wide receiver coach with Notre Dame, the 2025 wide receiver board has been reshaped quickly. The Irish staff is targeting different body types, styles and potential fits with the Notre Dame program.
Let’s take a look at each player, and more specially what they bring to the table on the field. There is going to be several class fits that could make sense in 2025. The staff is clearly targeting varying skill sets, all of which bring exciting possibilities to the table.
RAIDEN VINES-BRIGHT - BRADENTON (FLA.) IMG ACADEMY
Notre Dame needed to find more outside wide receiver options this offseason, and that mission appears to be continuing moving forward. When you watch Raiden-Vines-Bright, he boasts a pretty long frame at 6-1 and 180 pounds. There is a smoothness he plays with, having a nice combination of speed and hip fluidity. Vines-Bright is one of those wide receivers who makes everything look relatively easy.
NOTRE DAME FIT
In the Notre Dame system, Vines Bright projects best as a Z receiver, which is the outside field position. His plus length, along with smoothness and understanding of how to attack space makes him the ideal player to navigate space. There are some situations where he can win in the boundary with his releases packages, although that is probably on a limited basis.
TANOOK HINES - HOUSTON (TEXAS) DEKANEY
There are some wide receivers who play a lot bigger than their listed size, and that describes Hines perfectly. Despite being listed right around 6-1 and 190 pounds, he is a tough dude in the air and consistently wins through contact. Hines also breaks a good amount of tackles to make him a after catch threat as well, showing good strength and balance.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Hines is a somewhat unique, but strange player, considering that he has a Z receiver body type but plays much more like a boundary wide receiver. There is speed and physicality to work with but he must have more of an attention to the nuance of the position. If Hines can tap into his long speed and improve as a route runner, who could be a nice option to the field.
ELIJAH BURRESS - WAYNE (N.J.) DEPAUL CATHOLIC
There is a whole lot to like about Burress, who is the son of former New York Giant standout, Plaxico Burress. He has a clean frame, along with a good mix of deep speed and really nice short area explosiveness and change of direction skills. Burress is also a pretty nuanced player, already showing some impressive route running reps as only a junior. There are definitely tools to work with.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Burress is the ideal Z receiver in the Notre Dame system. A lot of times, you want sleek movers at that spot who understand how to run routes and find space. He could potentially play some inside with his route running ability but outside does seem like the most optimal projection.
LEX CYRUS - HARRISBURG (PA.) SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP
If you want a fast, explosive and quick twitch athlete that can score from any spot on the field, that is Cyrus in a nutshell. He has run in the 10.4s in the 100 meter yard dash, possessing the long speed to create chunk plays after the catch or down the field. Cyrus is lightning in the bottle who makes you hold your breath when the football is in his hand.
NOTRE DAME FIT
The slot is the easy projection for Cyrus, who is a dynamic player that wants to get into space as often as possible. There will be some limitations to playing outside due to his 5-10, 170-pound frame but Cyrus has the long speed to do it in spurts. Ultimately he can be a movement based athlete who can affect the game every time he touches the football.
NASIR NEWKIRK - GREENSBORO (N.C.) DUDLEY
Long and lean, Newkirk also doubles as a tremendous basketball player for Dudley. You can see that background in his game with his long strides and springiness. Newkirk knows how to high point the football down the field and has a massive catch radius to work with. There is also legitimate juice here to make some plays after the catch.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Newkirk could potentially play either outside position, although his body type is much more projectable as a Z receiver. With his length and long speed, you are going to want to keep him outside. As he becomes more nuanced as a route runner, Newkirk has the talent to become an all around outside threat.
SHAUN TERRY - IRONTON (OHIO) HIGH SCHOOL
Notre Dame is clearly trying to find more players who can make an impact in space, which is exactly what Terry brings to the table. The diminutive pass catcher is a dybakot after the catch, possessing the short area quickness to make people miss in space. While his long speed is just solid, Terry has the ability to create chunk plays with his quickness and field vision.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Terry is a true slot in the Notre Dame system. He doesn’t have the size or long speed to last outside on more than an occasional basis. In an offense that uses RPO and the screen game heavy, he has a chance to make a big impact.
MICHAEL TERRY III - SAN ANTONIO (TEXAS) ALAMO HEIGHTS
There are some players when you pop on the field and they give you something you weren’t expecting. When seeing 6-3 and 210 pounds, you expect size and physicality for Terry. You get those things but the more impressive part of his game is how explosive and fast he is. When Terry puts his foot in the ground and gets vertical, he is able to cover ground in a flash. He is the type of athlete who could play wide receiver, safety or rover on the next level. Calling Terry a special athlete would be a massive understatement.
NOTRE DAME FIT
The easiest projection would be into the boundary for Terry. After he focuses solely on wide receiver and us coached up a bit, his combination of size, catch radius, explosiveness and long speed would be an absolute nightmare to the short side of the field in man coverage. Terry is also a YAC weapon as well, which could allow him to play some in the slot, especially in a heavy RPO system. There really is no limit to how good he can be, and all the things you can do with Terry.
DONOVAN OLUGBODE - BRADENTON (ILL.) IMG ACADEMY
Some players make everything look so easy, which is a huge testament to Olugbode’s attention to detail as a route runner and his overall feel to the game. As an athlete, he hits the requisite areas you want to see. He has good length, solid speed, good flexibility and strong hands. That combination makes him one of the highest floor wide receivers in the 2025 recruiting class overall.
NOTRE DAME FIT
For Notre Dame, Olugbode is the type of wide receiver who can be moved around to multiple spots potentially. His size, body control and stride length makes him a best fit outside in their system. Despite having solid but unspectacular speed, Olugbode can play into the boundary with his body control and natural ball skills at times. He could also play outside to the field with his fluidity, and could even play in the slot at times with his ability to find space and win through contact.
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