Notre Dame Football: Breakout Candidates at Offensive Skill Positions

Braden Lenzy

Nathan:

There has been a lot of chatter about Lenzy over the first week or so of Spring practice. He came to Notre Dame with all of the speed of someone like Will Fuller, but also similarly built. There was always going to be an adjustment to the college game with his lack of size.

However, one year with Matt Balis and the Notre Dame staff has done him well. Not only has he gained solid weight, but his pure track speed is still there. That alone makes him very intriguing as an athlete. Couple that with the toughness comments Kelly has been throwing around and the practice reports that show a kid unafraid to go across the middle, and you have an impressive football player on your hands. Expect plenty of Braden Lenzy packages in the Chip Long playbook this season.

Mason:

Braden Lenzy has been a guy that Chip Long and Brian Kelly simply cannot speak higher of this Spring. Coming into Notre Dame last season, everyone knew that Lenzy was an absolute burner at the wide receiver position, but could he catch the ball? He has answered that question with a resounding yes. Lenzy has impressed everyone with his improved hands this Spring and that should definitely earn him some playing time. The facts are that the track-star speed Lenzy possesses is hard to keep off the field, and offensive coordinator Chip Long knows that.

Notre Dame lacked a true speedster last season, but they have one this year in Lenzy. He can turn a game on it’s head without a problem and he is the change-of-pace wide receiver that Notre Dame has truly missed. While Lenzy is not near Will Fuller’s level, he is as fast — if not faster — than Fuller, which is a scary sight for opposing defenses. If Lenzy can continue to improve his hands and route-running ability, he could make his impact felt very quickly this Fall.