2022 Notre Dame Wide Receiver Preview
There isn't a unit on the Notre Dame offense heading into the 2022 season with a greater gap between its floor and ceiling than the wideouts. Notre Dame returns talent at the position, but a lack of numbers, pre-existing injuries and an overall lack of proven production have raised a lot of concerns about the group.
There are a lot of questions about the wideouts heading into the season. How effectively this unit can answer those questions will have a very significant say on just how good the offense can be in 2022.
* - Walk-on
First-year wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey has his hands full due to all of those questions, but he doesn't inherit a group without ability. His ability to maximize the talent of the wideouts from a coaching standpoint, especially the younger players, will go a very long way towards determining if this group can in fact reach its full potential.
INJURED VETERANS IS A CONCERN
If I knew that sixth-year senior Avery Davis and fifth-year senior Joe Wilkins Jr. were healthy and ready to contribute at the start of fall camp I'd have little concern about this group. That's how confident I am on the overall talent at the position.
The issue, however, is that they aren't healthy going into the season, at least not fully. Davis is coming off an ACL injury in November. There remain questions about whether or not he'll be full go to start fall camp, and just how strong he'll be. When you consider the lack of depth Notre Dame has at the position it cannot afford to have a player like Davis limited. Ideally, Notre Dame needs Davis back to full strength.
If he is good to go I expect Davis to provide the same steady presence in the slot he's done the last two seasons, but I do have questions about his ability to play the same volume of snaps after suffering the knee injury. No matter how much he plays there's no doubt that Davis will provide an otherwise young group with much-needed leadership.
Wilkins is a much bigger question mark. He injured his knee in early October and was back for the spring, but a foot injury in the spring has raised major question marks about his availability in the fall. Beyond that, when he returns will he be at full strength? The reality is Wilkins can't afford to lose a step if he's going to contribute this fall.
Should he not be ready early in the season but be full speed when he returns later in the fall (in this hypothetical), that return would actually serve as a boost to the unit by giving it a fresh pair of legs later in the season.
These two injury questions are where much of the consternation about this group comes from.
LENZY WILL HAVE AN IMPACT
One of the biggest enigmas at wide receiver is Lenzy, who enters his fifth season with the Irish. The former coveted recruit showed himself to be the home run weapon he was recruited to be during a breakout performance in 2019. Lenzy had just 24 touches in 2019 (13 carries, 11 receptions), but four of those touches went for at least 43 yards.
Lenzy showed himself capable of being a home run hitter in stretch the field situations, after the catch scenarios and on jets and reverses in the run game. Lenzy averaged 18.9 yards per touch (rushing, receiving) that season. Injuries kept him from building on that success in 2020.
Last season, Lenzy was mostly a short throws guy, and he wasn't able to make much of an impact down the field, averaging just 10.9 yards per reception. The inability of the line to protect the quarterback kept Lenzy from getting more down the field opportunities, but if you look at the early season film he was getting open. The Irish staff also failed to do more to get him touches in space. Lenzy showed the ability to stay healthy and he showed he could do more than just be a big play weapon.
The hope in 2022 is that he can combine the 2019 big play ability with the steady performance he showed in 2021. That player would absolutely be an impact player for the Irish. Of course, staying healthy will always be a question for Lenzy.
Many seem to have written him off, but Lenzy had a strong spring and he is healthy right now. He's also strong, more focused and ready to show the college football world that he is a player that can do serious damage.
If Lenzy can do that he'll give the offense a huge, huge shot in the arm. Having Lenzy being a home run hitter would have a massive impact on the Irish offense. An argument could be made that his emergence is as important to the ultimate success of the 2022 pass attack than any skill player on the offense.
STYLES READY FOR A BREAKOUT
A case could be made that Styles is best situated to become the "alpha" of the wide receiver position. Of course, tight end Michael Mayer is the overall alpha in the pass game, but Styles has the talent to become a difference maker at wide receiver.
We saw that flash in the second half of the season. Styles had three catches for 57 yards in a win over USC, he caught three passes for 74 yards in a win over North Carolina and he ripped off a 37-yard run in the win over Virginia. Of course, Styles finished his freshman season off with his best performance yet.
Styles showed off his all-around game in the Fiesta Bowl matchup against Oklahoma State. He set career highs with eight catches for 136 yards and a score, but it was how he got there that was most encouraging. Styles had some production in the RPO game, he showed the ability to stretch the field and he showed he could win on off-target throws.
A year old and stronger, Styles is in position to become a breakout player for Notre Dame. He's a sharp route runner and he has speed, which makes him a dangerous vertical player. Styles still must show more consistency winning off the line and at the catch point, but if he can make a typical sophomore jump he'll be a major player for the Irish.
The question I have is where will Styles play. He played both the X and Z positions last season, but Notre Dame has a major question mark in the boundary. Styles isn't the typical Notre Dame boundary receiver, but unless someone else steps up I could see him getting more and more action in the boundary.
Expect to see Styles moving around quite a bit this fall, and expect his performance to largely silence some of the doubts about this group. If both Styles and Lenzy break out this season the Irish pass attack will be a lethal big play operation.
SOPHOMORES HAVE POTENTIAL, LACK EXPERIENCE
Styles isn't the only talented wide receiver from the 2021 class. Notre Dame signed two other four-star players when it landed Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas to go with Styles.
Colzie is a very intriguing player. He's got the best size on the roster (6-5, 207) and he's an athletic prospect. He's also a year younger than most of the players in his grade. When you talk about low floor/high ceiling prospects, look no further than Colzie. He's quite raw and he's still learning what it takes to truly get the most out of his ability, but a case could be made that none of the returners have his ceiling either.
He has to learn to play to his size, but if Colzie can put it all together he'll give the offense a big shot in the arm. His size is truly elite, and Colzie has enough speed to go with that size to make plays down the field. He could provide the pass game with a big bodied weapon that it doesn't have much of outside of the tight end position.
Thomas is a different kind of player. He's a thickly built athlete (6-1 1/2, 215) but he has shown a knack for making plays after the catch. Thomas was banged up as a senior in high school and as a freshman at Notre Dame, so he failed to earn a single snap last season. Thomas was a breakout player in the spring, and he'll push for time as a sophomore.
The Atlanta native has the size to make plays on the outside and the athleticism and feel for getting open to make plays in the slot. His ability to play all three receiver positions makes him an important player in an otherwise thin depth chart.
MERRIWEATHER NEEDS TO BE READY
As highly as I think about the returning receivers, no one on the wide receiver depth chart earned a higher grade from me coming out of high school than did Merriweather. The question now is can Merriweather break the trend of freshmen not making much of an impact at wideout, which was true for much of the last decade.
Merriweather has a unique blend of size (6-4, 190) and athleticism, and only Colzie adds more length to the position. What makes Merriweather ideally positioned to play as a rookie isn't just his athleticism and physical tools. What makes Merriweather poised to make an early splash is that he combines an advanced feel for the game to go with those tools.
He's an advanced route runner with an impressive knack for getting open. Merriweather also possesses top-notch ball skills, he can stretch the field and despite his size he was an after-the-catch threat as a prep player.
Merriweather can play both outside positions, and Stuckey needs to make him and Colzie his pet projects in the fall. Getting them both ready to roll this fall eases a lot of concerns about the wide receiver depth chart. They would also take a lot of pressure off Styles and Lenzy.
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