Exits from Notre Dame wide receiver room drop thin numbers even further
Life comes at you fast in college football.
One game into the 2021 season, Notre Dame’s linebacker unit, receiving corps and offensive line have already undergone significant change from where they stood in fall camp.
Three linebackers have suffered season-ending injuries — senior Paul Moala (Achilles tear), junior Marist Liufau (lower leg fracture) and senior Shayne Simon (labrum tear). Freshman left tackle Blake Fisher will miss eight weeks due to a meniscus tear suffered in his first career start Sunday at Florida State.
The shake-up at receiver, though, is due to a pair of departures. One player, sophomore Xavier Watts, has moved to defense to play rover. Another, senior Lawrence Keys III, has moved on from the program. Head coach Brian Kelly revealed Watts’ switch and confirmed Keys’ exit Thursday. News of the latter initially surfaced Wednesday night.
“Lawrence Keys is no longer on our roster,” Kelly said. “He has chosen to pursue finishing his degree. He’s taking 18 hours this semester, which would allow him to get his degree after the semester. He’s going to evaluate what he wants to do after that and whether football is in the cards for him or not.”
With Keys and Watts no longer in the picture, Notre Dame is down to just seven scholarship receivers. The Irish still have their three senior starters to lean on: boundary receiver (the “W” position) Kevin Austin Jr., field receiver (“X”) Braden Lenzy and fifth-year slot man (“Z”) Avery Davis. Behind them? There’s a lot of shifting.
Senior Joe Wilkins Jr., an outside receiver his entire career, will add slot duties to his plate, Kelly said. Freshmen Lorenzo Styles Jr. (field receiver) and Deion Colzie (boundary) are in line for playing time bumps. Freshman Jayden Thomas is a “swing guy.” Walk-on Matt Salerno could find himself in the mix as well.
“I’m excited about getting the chance to see those [veteran] guys, but also some of the young guys as they get the opportunity to play a little bit more,” Kelly said. “Joe is well-suited at the position he’s going to play — more Z, more X.”
Styles played one snap at Florida State. Colzie played none. Expect that to change Saturday against Toledo — and beyond.
“They’re ready to play,” Kelly said. “Let’s get them going. As I told [offensive coordinator] Tommy [Rees] and [receivers coach] Del [Alexander], it’s their time. With the veterans we have, it’s going to be a nice mix and exciting mix.”
How often they play remains to be seen, though. Austin, Lenzy and Davis are entrenched. Austin looked like the No. 1 target he was long rumored to be, with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown at Florida State. Davis led all receivers with 57 snaps in the opener. Lenzy played 43. Wilkins played 20 snaps off the bench and caught a 23-yard touchdown.
Keys, meanwhile, played just five snaps. Watts did not see the field. The void without them is more a depth hole than it is a rotation gap. It’s rare to find six- or seven-man receiver rotations in college football, especially on a non-Air Raid team. That could mean Colzie and Styles’ opportunity may be a bit role, not a notable one.
At the same time, they’re an injury or another departure away from a much larger workload. Seven scholarship receivers on the roster leaves little room for unavailability.
As odd as it may seem to move Watts away from a position already thin on numbers, Notre Dame wouldn’t have done it if it didn’t have a group of seven the coaching staff trusts. Linebacker isn't exactly at full strength either. Kelly even called receiver a “log jam”, an indication the coaches think Watts has a clearer path to seeing the field this year on defense rather than offense.
Notre Dame has to hope that theory holds true the rest of the year. If it does, the rash of injuries that has hit other positions will have spared the wide receivers and avoided disaster at an important spot.
“We feel really good,” Kelly said, “about where we are at the wide receiver position.”
But the season’s first week has re-enforced one lesson: sudden change is always lurking.
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