Kevin Austin Is Back; What Should Notre Dame Expect From Him Saturday?
Brian Kelly was, for once, thrilled to hear an injury question.
The normally unappealing inquiry oddly evoked normalcy for Kelly, he admitted, after the prior 10 days and most of his Oct. 1 press conference contained an endless deluge of COVID-19 questions. Understandably so. His team was in the middle of an outbreak.
But when he communicated unwavering confidence Notre Dame would play Florida State as scheduled Saturday, regular in-season items like injury questions became top of mind again. And Kelly delivered some encouraging news.
Junior wide receiver Kevin Austin should be cleared to play against the Seminoles. The former top-100 recruit was on track to become Notre Dame’s go-to receiver this season, but suffered a foot fracture in late July and had surgery Aug. 3 to repair it.
“Kevin Austin is in a running program right now,” Kelly said Oct. 1. “He ran the last couple of days. He will be modified over the next couple days with practice. Right now, we’re on track for him to compete against Florida State.”
On the surface, it’s good news. But a reminder to temper expectations for his immediate impact followed.
“Obviously, Kevin is going to be the guy we modify for Florida State,” Kelly said.
In the history of Kelly injury-speak, a modified return usually amounts to very limited snaps and little production. The 6-2, 215-pound Austin may play for just a few snaps and run a few routes. Maybe catch a pass. He may not play at all. The only guarantee seems to be that he will be dressed and available if Kelly and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees want to use him.
Notre Dame probably won’t require Austin’s services to beat Florida State, an 1-2 team that lost to lowly Georgia Tech, was blasted by Miami and beat Football Championship Subdivision program Jacksonville State 41-24. The Seminoles’ first year of the Mike Norvell era isn’t on the path to producing many (if any) pleasant memories. Some low-stress reps to give to Austin may present themselves later in the game.
There are, though, logical reasons to deploy him as early and often as his recovering foot permits.
The Ian Book-Austin connection that still can alter the ceiling of the Irish’s offense went on hold since late July. It never got off the ground this spring. It just restarted in practice — or really, just began. Notre Dame will need it at full capacity for the heart of the schedule that contains games against stiffer defenses.
Ideally, those two have an unwavering connection well before Clemson comes to town on Nov. 7. That’s five games away. After the passing game’s bumpy opener, Kelly and Book both pointed to Book and his new cast of skill position players’ lack of time together (relatively speaking) this spring and summer. One would think a game setting is a strong way of getting past that faster.
Notre Dame’s receiving corps could also use the boost. Without Austin, Irish receivers have accounted for 110 of Book’s 407 passing yards. That’s a measly 27 percent. (For comparison, the receivers gained 70 percent of Notre Dame’s passing yards in 2019).
Book has completed three passes on throws 20-plus yards downfield. Two of them have come on play action, which comprises all of Notre Dame’s downfield attack. Through two games, gaining receiver separation down the field is reliant on scheme. An injection of one-on-one playmaking is overdue, though junior field receiver Braden Lenzy’s return against South Florida provided some optimism there.
Austin’s replacements at the “W” boundary position, fifth-year seniors Javon McKinley and Bennett Skowronek, have one catch on five targets. Skowronek was injured in the opener and did not play the following week against USF, but is expected back Saturday.
Enter Austin, with only 90 career yards but endless upside. He has not caught a pass since Oct. 27, 2018 and was suspended all of last year, but was allowed to practice throughout his suspension. The reviews on him were glowing. And unanimous. Among the supporters was the man he’s replacing, current Pittsburgh Steeler Chase Claypool.
“People don’t talk a lot about him, but he’s a special talent," Claypool said last season. “He has really good speed and clean cuts. He’s a crazy athlete who’s still learning, which is kind of scary."
Notre Dame’s defensive players noticed, too.
“He would go out and make some incredible plays that make you say, ‘Wow, what I would give to have him on the field,’” former Notre Dame defensive end Khalid Kareem said at the NFL Combine in February.
Those are descriptions of a player who belongs on the field as often as possible, and as soon as possible. It’s not yet clear if he will be used in such a way against Florida State, and may not be until the game itself unfolds. After the prior two weeks, though, Kelly is simply thrilled an Austin usage and health question is among his most pressing items to address.
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