Notre Dame’s wide receiving depth chart features talent at just about every level. Starting with All-American candidate and sophomore record-setter Will Fuller and working down to freshmen like Equanimeous St. Brown and C.J. Sanders, top to bottom this is the most exciting set of playmakers the Irish have had at the position in, maybe—ever?
That, of course, will be decided on the field. But needless to say, Notre Dame’s receiving corps looks a lot different than the one Brian Kelly inherited in 2010.
(Seriously, go look at that group. After Michael Floyd, only Duval Kamara had done anything at the position, and the Irish were relying on freshman TJ Jones, converted running back Theo Riddick, sophomore Robby Toma and John Goodman to fill out the depth chart.)
With expectations sky high for Mike Denbrock’s crew, let’s take our last look at Notre Dame’s most talented position group on offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Position Coach: Mike Denbrock
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
X: Will Fuller, Jr.
W: Chris Brown, Sr.
Z: Amir Carlisle, Grad Student
X: Torii Hunter, Jr.*
W: Corey Robinson, Jr.
Z: C.J. Sanders, Fr.
Additional Depth
Equanimeous St. Brown, Fr.
Corey Holmes, Soph.
Jaylen Guyton, Fr.
Miles Boykin, Fr.
*Denotes additional year of eligibility available.
LEADING MAN
Will Fuller. Fuller is a marked man. And when I asked him about it on Media Day, he certainly didn’t look like a guy too stressed about additional attention getting in the way of him doing his job. Notre Dame’s most prolific sophomore ever might have a hard time duplicating the numbers he put up last year, but he might not—especially if he’s more consistent in his routes and cuts down on the self-inflected mistakes like drops.
Physically, Fuller probably lacks the “freak” size/speed ratio you’re looking for these days. But he’ll run past just about anybody in college football and he’s deadly in the screen game, too.
NEED A BIG SEASON
Chris Brown & Corey Robinson. While they both technically play the same position, I’m expecting these two to see the field plenty, and maybe even together. The time is now for Brown, who has showed something by keeping in front of Robinson on the two-deep and staying in the starting lineup. And for all the preseason love heading Robinson’s way (if you didn’t know any better, you’d expect that Robinson was the guy who scored 15 times last year), he’s still running with the twos.
Both these guys have elite skill-sets. Now they need to play like it.
THREE BIGGEST FACTORS...
Is Torii Hunter going to play up to his camp clippings? Just about everybody who left a camp practice this August was talking up Torii Hunter, making you feel like the versatile junior is finally beyond the scary leg injury he suffered at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. But I’m still trying to figure out how Hunter fits into the plans.
Sure, his versatility will allow him to take reps in the slot. But is he a guy that’s taking Fuller off the field or getting targets that could’ve been headed for Robinson or Brown? I’m setting the bar low, but if Hunter emerges as a weapon in this offense the rich are getting richer.
How will opponents try to defend Notre Dame’s passing game? Seriously, if things are running as they should, how do you slow down Notre Dame’s offense? Put seven or eight in the box against a strong running attack with Malik Zaire and you’re unable to do much more than cover these receivers man-to-man. Show respect to weapons like Fuller or mismatches like Robinson and the numbers in the box get mighty run friendly.
Fantasy football hasn’t taken over college football, so nobody is living or dying by the number of targets Fuller gets this season. But the passing attack could have some very advantageous matchups at their disposal if Zaire gets the ground game working right, and that’ll be fascinating to watch as Brian Kelly, Denbrock and Mike Sanford try to pick their poison.
Can Zaire be accurate enough in Notre Dame’s quick passing game? We take for granted just how automatic Everett Golson was in the short passing game. His ability to grip-and-rip passes (no laces!) was a big factor in the success Notre Dame had in the screen game and it allowed the Irish offense to move efficiently (when he wasn’t giving the ball away).
An early viewing of Notre Dame practice video showed a few missed throws by Zaire that have you scratching your head. Golson just didn’t miss—especially against air. So while Zaire’s ability in the zone read game will open things up that Golson just was never comfortable doing, Zaire needs to prove he can throw the quick game efficiently, especially with the weapons the Irish have in space.
THREE RANDOM THOUGHTS
How good are these freshman, and can they really work their way onto the field? I’m buying the hype on guys like Equanimeous St. Brown, C.J. Sanders and Miles Boykin. But I’m legitimately wondering how they find their way onto the field.
I expect Sanders to push Amir Carlisle. But if we see St. Brown on the field, it’ll likely be because he’s too good not to be on it, and he’ll find a way to challenge defenses that’ll be forced to cover a true freshman with little help.
What will Mike Sanford add to the passing game? Okay, he’s supposed to turn the room upside down. But can he add something to a passing attack that some think Kelly already loves just a little too much? Sanford has coached and played for some innovative football men. If he can add a wrinkle or two to the mix, it’d be a great addition to an offense that could be very efficient and prolific.
It’s crazy to think that only Chris Brown should be gone from this group in 2016. Sure, there’s a chance that Will Fuller heads to the NFL after this season. But after seeing the receiving corps that Notre Dame trotted out there early in the Kelly era, this group runs like 10 deep in 2015, and that doesn’t count CJ Prosise or Justin Brent.
There’s no reason to believe that the recruits that Notre Dame pulled the trigger on early in this recruiting cycle don’t have the upside potential of the too-soon-to-say-it-but-they-sure-look-good group that the Irish staff signed in the 2015 class. So next year, you’re looking at a dozen receivers trying to find their way onto the field? That’s insane. Even if some fourth-stringers put in transfer papers, it’s amazing how much success the Irish have had finding receivers, especially considering they aren’t chasing down five-star recruits.