Midweek Musings: Focusing On The Wide Receivers

Thoughts on Notre Dame football, its recruiting efforts and college football

WR PERSONNEL REQUIRES A SCHEMATIC SHIFT IN EMPHASIS

In recent seasons the Notre Dame offensive staff has shown it understands how to use a wide receiver corps that is built around size and one-on-one traits down the field. Notre Dame has mostly lacked vertical speed and after-the-catch weapons, and the one's they had were rarely used. We got a glimpse of what that can look like in 2019 when the staff used Braden Lenzy's home run speed effectively, but the scheme has been built around running the ball and using size at tight end and on the perimeter.

Notre Dame has just two returning wideouts in the two deep that weighs over 190 pounds, and it has just one receiver that is over 6-1 1/2. That player - Kevin Austin (6-2, 210) - has just six career catches and is coming off a broken foot that cost him most of the 2020 season.

Other than that Notre Dame has incoming freshman Deion Colzie, who checks in at 6-4 and around 200 pounds. Here's the rest of the receiving corps:

Avery Davis - 5-11, 202
Braden Lenzy - 5-11, 181
Lawrence Keys III - 5-10 1/2, 173
Joe Wilkins Jr. - 6-1 1/2, 190
Lorenzo Styles Jr. - 6-1, 186
Xavier Watts - 6-0, 199
Jay Brunelle - 6-1 1/2, 199
Jayden Thomas - 6-1, 185

This group brings a much different skillset than what we've seen in past seasons. It's a group that brings a lot more speed to the table, which means attacking vertically and doing more to use crossing routes, drags and out cuts to attack defenses. It means using fewer back shoulders or stop routes (curls, stop routes, comebacks) than we've seen in the past and using more concepts that allow wideouts to make plays on the run.

It means using formations that protect the overall lack of size at the line while also taking advantage of the speed and quickness to get defenders in chase mode. It means using more quick game and screen concepts to attack defenses, it means using the RPO game more effectively.

Notre Dame already has all the necessary concepts in the offense, what it requires a shift in focus and emphasis.

2022 WR RECRUITING HAS BEEN PUZZLING

Notre Dame is heading into the 2021 season with a diverse group of receivers that includes a blend of big and smaller wideouts, physical and athletic wideouts, downfield players with after the catch weapons. It's the most diverse group of wideouts, and one of the deeper units, that Notre Dame has fielded in recent seasons.

It follows an era where head coach Brian Kelly consistently complained about a lack of explosiveness at wide receiver. Yet when you evaluate the 2022 receiver board and look at the players Notre Dame has prioritized it seems the staff is dead set on getting back to the way things were and not continuing to push for the explosive, playmaking receivers we are seeing do so much damage in college football.

Vancouver (Wash.) Union standout Tobias Merriweather has some vertical explosiveness, but the rest of the board is made up of possession type of receivers, or players that while talented are not the kind of big-play weapons Notre Dame needs a lot more of. Considering the 2021 receiver class had just one of those types of players (Lorenzo Styles Jr.), you'd think the staff would be going after more playmakers.

You'd think, for example, the staff would be making a harder push for Bluefield (Va.) Graham wideout Xayvion Bradshaw. Listed at 6-0 and 185 pounds, Bradshaw looks to be closer to sub-6-0, which is fine, and there's not a thing wrong with that. More important than that is that Bradshaw has big-time playmaking ability with the ball, skills that the offense and return game needs a lot more of. Yet Bradshaw, as of right now, doesn't seem to be as big of a priority for Del Alexander as a guy like Nicholas Anderson, a smooth athlete that isn't going to scare teams vertically, or a guy like Andre Greene Jr., a very talented wideout that is more about dominating with size than he does speed or athleticism.

It's not too late to shift course, and if the Irish staff does that they should have a great shot at landing Bradshaw. Combining Bradshaw into a class with Merriweather and CJ Williams, to go with current commit Amorion Walker, would be very scary for future opponents.

It's a move that needs to happen, and without it the staff will once again load up on the same kind of players that made up the receiving corps when Kelly kept complaining about not having enough playmakers after the team lost big games while scoring very few points.

50 BEST TEAMS NOT TO WIN A TITLE .... DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY ND SQUADS

I used to argue that ESPN didn't have an anti-Notre Dame bias, they just weren't good at what they do in most areas. It's becoming harder and harder to do that. ESPN released a breakdown of the 50 best teams to never win a national title, and the list had the 2018 squad (that lost 44-16 to Clemson in the title game) and the 2019 Ohio State team, but had ZERO Notre Dame squads.

So the 1993 Notre Dame team that convincingly beat the eventual national champions didn't make the list. The 1989 Notre Dame team that beat #4 Colorado, #7 Michigan, #8 USC, #15 Penn State, #16 Michigan, #17 Pittsburgh and #18 Virginia, and only lost the national champion Miami on the road, didn't make the list.

I could go back and find some Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian squads that belong at least in the Top 50, as does the 1970 Notre Dame team that beat previously #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl by a 24-11 margin. I'd like to see the 1992 Notre Dame squad get some mention in that list as well.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Notre Dame had another social media push this week, and this time it was about the coaching ability of the staff. It was a "Technique Tuesday" push where the staff showed clips of player's executing what they were taught. Here's an example:

We define a “difference maker” as someone who demands and can beat a double team. @____bb52 wins vs a double here and shows relentless effort to get to the ball! #TechniqueTuesday ☘️😬 pic.twitter.com/JGwS4i4HRB
— Brian Polian (@BrianPolian) May 25, 2021

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

We preview the incoming freshmen, and discuss the players that will have the greatest opportunity and talent to play right away.

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense

2022 Big Board: Running Back
2022 Big Board: Slot Receivers

Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers

Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board

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