Lorenzo Styles Needs To Grow Up Quickly For Notre Dame
In a perfect world young players get to arrive at college, learn for awhile under veteran players and over time they get to steadily grow into standouts. It's not a perfect world for Notre Dame at wide receiver, which means sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles needs to grow up as a player in a hurry.
There is no disputing the talent that Styles brings to the game. He's long, fast, athletic, smart and he has a natural feel for the game. Styles is also very young, but injuries, past departures and the current makeup of the roster have thrust him into a situation where he must become "the guy" for the Irish wideouts.
With Avery Davis lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL last week, Styles has a bit more clarity on the position he'll likely start at. It's the same position he started late in the 2021 season when Davis injured his other knee. Styles had some good moments in the regular season, including three catches for 57 yards in a win over USC and three receptions for 74 yards in a win over North Carolina.
It was the Fiesta Bowl when Styles showed just how good he can be. Facing an Oklahoma State defense that allowed just one player to top 100 yards in the regular season, Styles broke out by hauling in eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Styles mad his presence felt immediately, smoking Cowboy safety Tanner McCalister for a 29-yard touchdown on the game's opening drive.
Styles finished his rookie season with 24 catches for 344 yards and a score.
The depth issues at receiver, which were compounded by the Davis injury, put Styles in position where he can't afford to take time to develop as a player. If Notre Dame is going to make a run at the College Football Playoff it needs Styles to become a legitimate force in the offense.
Styles will have some big moments this season, of that I have no doubt. He's already shown he can be a big play receiver, and he has all the tools needed to become a dominant pass catcher. An issue for many young players, however, is consistency, and that's an area where Styles will need to prove himself this fall. It's asking a lot for a sophomore, but it's what Notre Dame needs from him.
Can Styles be a consistent force, either with his production or by playing at an elevated level that forces defenses to give him extra attention, thus taking pressure off star tight end Michael Mayer, the other wideouts and the run game? That's the big question, and the more he answers that question in the affirmative the better he'll be, and the better the Irish offense will be.
Styles also needs to be more assertive as a player, which is somewhat natural for a young player. When he's assertive he shows the ability to not only take the top off the defense and make plays after the catch, he also shows an ability to win contested throws. All of those traits will be needed this season, and if we see him put it all together by the end of the year we'll be talking about Styles as being one of the top pass catchers in the nation.
If we're talking about Styles being that type of player by season's end we'll be talking about the Notre Dame offense being one of the more dynamic units in the country.
I know that's asking a lot, but not only does Notre Dame need that, Styles is capable of doing just that.
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