Notre Dame Receiving Corps 'A Tricky Situation'

The definition of a “first-world problem” was first used in the Oxford Dictionary Online in November 2012.

In somewhat of a backhanded manner it mocks the privileged who are stressed by trivial matters such as Wi-Fi going out for a few minutes, thus preventing social media engagement.

For the top teams in college football, such “problems” can occur on how to best utilize stockpiled talent. Two examples among several at Notre Dame currently include Buck linebacker and boundary receiver.

The Buck competition has included former top 100 recruits in juniors Shayne Simon and Jack Lamb, developing sophomore Marist Liufau and classmate Jack Kiser, whose eight tackles against USF on Sept. 19 earned him the game ball when Simon and Liufau were unavailable, purportedly because of the coronavirus.

Another option could even be to shift the starting middle linebacker from 2019 and this year, senior Drew White so that the emerging junior Bo Bauer can receive more action at the Mike position.

How many football teams would love to have such a complication?

Notre Dame’s boundary receiver position, which has produced an NFL player each of the past three seasons with junior Equanimeous St. Brown (2018), third-round choice Miles Boykin (2019) and second-round selection Chase Claypool, who will make a strong bid for 2020 NFL Rookie of The Year, is another example.

The long-awaited return of junior Kevin Austin, sidelined last year with a suspension before undergoing foot surgery this August 3, finally arrived the week of the Florida State game. Head coach Brian Kelly projected (probably prematurely) “15 to 20 snaps” for Austin against the Seminoles. Instead, he had only three, with one deep ball target that fell incomplete.

Part of that is because graduate student Javon McKinley has put himself in a position to where the coaching staff can’t take him off the field. The primary reason was the 6-2, 215-pound wideout’s exceptional blocking on the edge and downfield while Notre Dame has built its 2020 identity on offense around a physical ground attack.

Yet against FSU, McKinley also snared a career high five passes for 107 yards, highlighted by 36- and 38-yard grabs on deep balls, while competing against one of the nation’s better cornerbacks in Asante Samuel Jr.

“There’s nobody, I don’t think, in college football that can defend [McKinley],” Kelly raved after the game. “…I’ve been telling him he’s got a chance to do some special things.”

Through three games, McKinley’s 154 snaps on offense, per Pro Football Focus, were exactly double of any other Irish receiver — 77 by junior Braden Lenzy. There is a time and place for the speedster Lenzy in the attack, and he had just over 50 snaps versus FSU.

However, because the Irish operate in a two- and even three-tight alignment most of the time to enhance their current identity, snap counts are going to be in shorter supply for the overall wideout corps. Something, or some position, has to give.

Claypool himself indicated last spring that Austin, the No. 88-ranked recruit by Rivals in 2018, was primed to become the next big-time NFL wideout from Notre Dame. However, it’s so easy to forget that McKinley was the No. 59 overall recruit on Rivals’ 2016 board, before injuries and other setbacks slowed his career track.

Now, McKinley is just as eager and hungry for a future in the NFL, and he knows the clock is ticking.

“We’re trying to bring Kevin back at the same time we’re trying to elevate Javon within our offensive structure,” Kelly explained. “In one sense we want to get Kevin back in the mix. But we don’t want to take away from the success of Javon — because we’re trying to …feed him in the sense of building his confidence. So it’s kind of a tricky situation for us right now.”

A potential solution is to move one or the other to the field side at receiver so both can still play together despite the multiple tight end looks. Austin also has been listed this week as the "co-starter" on punt returns with junior walk-on receiver Matt Salerno, with the duo replacing junior Lawrence Keys III, who struggled against Florida State, including a lost fumble that set up the Seminoles' first touchdown.

“Kevin is now at that mark where we feel like we can just put him in and not have to worry about his numbers or how much he’s playing,” said Kelly of Austin gradually getting back his timing. “So you’re going to see him in the game at the same time as McKinley.”

Possibly, that could create the kind of problems for the opposition the staff can even better appreciate.

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