Notre Dame Wideouts Finding Their Fits
Over the past two season, 206 passes were snared by the graduated tandem of boundary receiver Chase Claypool (116) and slot Chris Finke (90). Those catches produced 2,703 yards total offense and 23 touchdowns.
Notre Dame’s returning wideout corps from those same two years have a combined 40 receptions.
That included junior Kevin Austin, who was sidelined last year because of a violation of team rules but was earmarked as the next standout target in the boundary. Unfortunately, foot surgery on Aug. 3 will sideline him “eight to 12 weeks,” per head coach Brian Kelly.
However, that resulted in the move of 6-3, 224-pound Northwestern graduate transfer Ben Skowronek to the boundary spot that the past three years produced NFL Draft picks in Claypool (second round), Miles Boykin (third round) in 2019 and Equanimeous St. Brown (sixth round) in 2018.
A 2019 captain with the Wildcats who was sidelined with an ankle injury, Skowronek’s 110 career pass receptions dwarf everyone else on the current roster. Furthermore, in various preseason testing drills to evaluate physical skill level, Skowronek posted the highest mark among receivers and tight ends, edging out Austin.
“He's physically conditioned, he’s done a really good job of buying into our culture and the way we do things,” Kelly said. “… Coach [Pat] Fitzgerald’s program has some similar tenets that there's high standards across the board. He has fit in very well here … I can't say enough good things about him.”
Developing chemistry with quarterback Ian Book has been part of the process for Skowronek. Still, the injury to Austin had the staff prioritizing this August where the wideout corps would be best aligned.
In the spring, Skowronek was on the wide side of the field (X) with junior speedster Braden Lenzy (11 catches for 254 yards and two scores last season), while Austin and fifth-year senior Javon McKinley (11 catches for 268 yards, four scores in 2019) were in the boundary.
Now, with Skowronek settled in at boundary, McKinley will be utilized as the swing man on both sides, per Kelly.
Replacing Finke in the slot will be junior Lawrence Keys (13 catches for 134 yards last season) and senior Avery Davis (10 catches for 124 yards and two scores), who played running back last season.
That quintet of wideouts is what Kelly refers to as the “first group” from this preseason, with junior Joe Wilkins potentially a next option as both a field or boundary figure.
“Most of our time has been spent just solidifying that group and where they are,” Kelly said. “Joe Wilkins is starting to emerge and show some more consistency as well.”
Notre Dame signed only two receiver prospects in 2019, but both have switched positions: Cam Hart to cornerback and Kendall Abdur-Rahman to running back.
Thus, the freshmen trio of five-star Jordan Johnson, Xavier Watts and Jay Brunelle might get their opportunities as the season progresses but are now going through their apprenticeship.
“Those guys have done a really nice job for us as well,” Kelly stated. “Those guys are young, so it's just a matter of them continuing to get reps.“
In Kelly’s 10 seasons with the Fighting Irish, only two freshman wide receivers snared more than nine passes — and one of them occurred in his first season back in 2010. Even the game-breaking Will Fuller, a first-round selection as a junior, had only six as a freshman in 2013.
TJ Jones in 2010 is one of only two freshmen to have a significant impact at receiver under Kelly, and enrolling in January helped. Jones finished the year with seven starts, 23 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns. His body did begin to break down by the final month, and he caught only one pass the final four games. Still, he snared twice as many passes than any other freshman receiver under Kelly.
• In 2011, DaVaris Daniels redshirted before cracking the starting lineup a year later.
• Among the three receivers signed in 2012, highlighted by No. 107-ranked national player Davonte Neal, a total of four passes were caught. One of them did have huge impact — a 50-yard post by speedster Chris Brown in the fourth quarter versus Oklahoma that set up the game-winning touchdown.
• In 2013, the freshman trio of Corey Robinson (nine catches for 157 yards and one score), Fuller (six catches, 160 yards, one score) and James Onwualu (two catches for 34 yards) combined for 17 grabs, 351 yards and two touchdowns.
The following year as sophomores, Fuller detonated with 76 catches (15 touchdowns) while Robinson, projected as a potential future first-round pick by at least one outlet, grabbed 40 with five scores (and a sixth rubbed out at Florida State).
• The second freshman receiver to be featured more prominently under Kelly, other than Jones, was during the 4-8 debacle in 2016, when Kevin Stepherson finished as the third-leading pass catcher on the team with 25 catches for 462 yards (18.5 yards per reception) and five touchdowns.
Alas, myriad off-the-field issues resulted in expulsion before he resurfaced at Jacksonville State last season.
The last three Notre Dame receivers who were drafted by the NFL each of the past three years also did not have any impact as freshmen. St. Brown snared one pass as a 2015 freshman before becoming a sixth-round pick after his junior year, Boykin redshirted as a freshman that same year, and Claypool nabbed five receptions as a 2016 freshman while getting overshadowed by Stepherson.
Count on the youth to develop, but also for the older guard to handle most of the reps for now.
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