WR Joe Wilkins Jr. will return to Notre Dame for fifth season

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Published Jan 11, 2022

WR Joe Wilkins Jr. will return to Notre Dame for fifth season

Tyler James • InsideNDSports

Publisher

@TJamesND

Joe Wilkins Jr. started his senior season with a flourish.

His highlight reel touchdown catch in the season opener at Florida State could have been a preview of what was to come for the 6-foot-2, 195-pound wide receiver. Instead, it became a standalone moment in a season that ended after five games when Wilkins suffered a torn MCL in the 24-13 loss to Cincinnati.

Wilkins will take another shot at making memorable plays for the Irish in 2022 by returning for a fifth season. He announced his decision Tuesday on Instagram.

Wilkins only caught three more passes in 2021 after his 23-yard touchdown catch at Florida State. He finished the season with 61 receiving yards.

The former three-star cornerback prospect has been a bit of an afterthought during his Notre Dame career after moving to receiver as a freshman. His first contributions to the Irish offense came as a junior in 2020, when he caught seven passes for 63 yards and one touchdown.

But Notre Dame can’t be too choosy with its wide receiver depth. The Irish need healthy, experienced players after losing all of its receivers in last season’s sophomore and junior classes to transfers or position switches.

The returns of senior Braden Lenzy, graduate senior Avery Davis and Wilkins should help a roster that lost fellow senior Kevin Austin Jr. to the NFL. Notre Dame currently has only four other scholarship wide receivers projected for the 2022 roster: current freshmen Lorenzo Styles, Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas, and incoming freshman Tobias Merriweather, a four-star recruit.

Only three of Notre Dame's seniors in 2021 have not yet announced their plans for next season: cornerback TaRiq Bracy, offensive lineman John Dirksen and running back C'Bo Flemister.

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