Notre Dame football's wide receiver depth chart will certainly look different in 2024.
The Irish have already lined up more production and experience to add to the roster in Florida International graduate transfer Kris Mitchell. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Mitchell announced Tuesday a commitment to the Irish after visiting Notre Dame's campus this past weekend.
The Irish added a grad transfer commitment from Arizona State nickelback Jordan Clark on Monday.
Mitchell, who spent the past five seasons at FIU, is coming off the best year of his career with 64 catches for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. No Notre Dame wide receiver caught more than 27 passes in the 2023 regular season.
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Mitchell’s commitment to Notre Dame comes at a time of significant transition for the program’s wide receiver position. Position coach Chansi Stuckey was fired last week and is expected to be replaced by Wisconsin’s Mike Brown. Four Irish wide receivers have also entered the transfer portal: senior Chris Tyree, sophomore Tobias Merriweather and freshmen Rico Flores Jr. and Braylon James.
Flores led the position in receptions with 27 for 392 yards and one touchdown. Tyree led the position in receiving yards with 484 on 26 catches with three touchdowns. Merriweather led the team in yards per catch with 20.3 on 14 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns. James, a former four-star recruit, only caught one pass for 12 yards while playing in only four games to maintain a redshirt season.
What Notre Dame has coming back at wide receiver in 2024 — at least as it currently stands — consists of five scholarship players: juniors Jayden Thomas (17 catches for 251 yards and one touchdown in 2023) and Deion Colzie (3-45-1) and freshmen Jaden Greathouse (16-252-5), Jordan Faison (14-207-3) and KK Smith (did not play due to shoulder injury).
The Irish have three four-star wide receiver commitments set to sign with Notre Dame later this month during the early signing period: Cam Williams, Micah Gilbert and Logan Saldate. All have publicly and privately affirmed their Irish pledges following Stuckey’s firing.
Notre Dame’s wide receiver numbers will likely lead to at least one more transfer portal addition if a match can be found. The Irish are hosting Washington State wide receiver Josh Kelly for a visit that started Tuesday and will host Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins for a visit that will start Wednesday.
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Mitchell, who signed with FIU as a two-star recruit out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin, will use his final season of eligibility at Notre Dame. He redshirted as a freshman in 2019 and played in just four games the following season. He caught his first career touchdown pass as a redshirt sophomore in 2021. Mitchell didn’t start having a meaningful impact on FIU’s offense until 2022 when he totaled 23 receptions for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Mitchell became FIU’s leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving yards in his breakout 2023 season. According to Pro Football Focus, Mitchell was targeted 31 times on throws 20-plus yards downfield, which was the fifth-most in the FBS following conference championship weekend. Mitchell caught 14 of those passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns. That reception percentage of 45.2 ranks 17th among the 58 FBS wide receivers with at least 21 targets of that distance.
Mitchell’s overall receiving grade of 78.4 from PFF ranks No. 34 among the 104 FBS receivers with at least 76 targets in 2023. Flores led Notre Dame in targets with 49.
FIU, a Conference USA member that finished the season 4-8, played against one Power Five program in 2023: Arkansas (4-8). In a 44-20 loss to the Razorbacks, Mitchell caught six passes for 157 yards and one touchdown.
At the time of his Notre Dame commitment, Rivals ranked Mitchell as the No. 12 wide receiver and No. 67 overall player in the portal.
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