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Notre Dame Football: Breakout Candidates at Offensive Skill Positions

By Nathan Erbach

EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 03: Michael Young #87 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Travis Jack Whillock #7 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half of a game at Ryan Field on November 3, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, IL - NOVEMBER 03: Michael Young #87 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Travis Jack Whillock #7 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half of a game at Ryan Field on November 3, 2018 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame
SAN DIEGO, CA – OCTOBER 27: Kevin Austin #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball in the 1st half against the Navy Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium on October 27, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /

Kevin Austin

Nathan:

Peharps the most talented wide receiver on the roster, Austin was deemed to be an instant contributor the moment he stepped foot on Notre Dame’s campus. Coming in with all the hype, it was somewhat of a surprise he didn’t enjoy more individual success as a true freshman in 2018.

If you watch the Notre Dame practices, the talent on the field is evident, but like Coach Kelly has stated many times in the past — it is not only about the “traits” on the field. If Austin is truly poised to breakout in 2019, he will need to turn the corner off the field as well. Assuming for a second that Austin becomes a main contributor for the Irish at wide receiver as a sophomore, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he also becomes the most dynamic weapon in the Notre Dame offense. That is how special of an athlete he is.

Mason:

Oh, Kevin Austin. He has been quite the character to cover at Notre Dame. Austin has all the talent in the world, but hasn’t really shown it at Notre Dame just yet. For what reason? Who really knows at this point. I wrote an article last week about how he needs to step-up this season and become a consistent contributor to the offense, then hours later reports come out that he had a great practice. Maybe he read my article!

Probably not.

In any event, Irish fans should be very excited about the possibilities that Austin brings to the Notre Dame offense. This guy is one of the best WR recruits ND has pulled in quite a while, and this season is the perfect time for Austin to burst onto the scene. Austin possesses the skills and physical traits to beat out Chase Claypool for the boundary receiver position, it’s just a question of if Austin will work hard enough for it. Not even traveling with the team for the last two games of the season last year was not a great omen for him, but Spring practice reports say he’s looked great so far. It should shock no one if Kevin Austin becomes a household name among Notre Dame fans this fall.

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