Notre Dame Football: Irish Looking for Big-Play Receivers to Improve Offense

Before the 2018 season, Notre Dame football had significant questions about their receiving corps. In 2019, there are similar questions, but different answers.

Ahead of the 2018 season, one thing was known for sure about Notre Dame football’s receiving core: The Irish would have a size advantage against opposing secondaries.

Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool, and tight end Alize Mack all stood above 6-foot-3 and Notre Dame coaches and fans were excited about the endless jump-ball possibilities.

Ahead of the 2019 season, however, the Irish receiving core has a different look. Claypool returns for his senior season, but Boykin and Mack are gone to the NFL. Claypool probably isn’t the go-up-and-get-it receiver that Boykin was and neither are the guys who come behind him.

The Irish will look to spread the ball to a receiving core of smaller, quicker receivers such as Chris Finke, Michael Young, Kevin Austin, Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys, and Joe Wilkins, Jr., just to name a few. And while the receiving group will look different, the possibility for the Irish offense to out-perform its 2018 passing output is likely.

Notre Dame struggled offensively at times last season and team speed in the right places was a large culprit for Notre Dame’s struggles.

It’s not to say that the Irish were devoid of athleticism and team speed. In fact, it’s easy to contend that the Irish have improved overall team speed steadily in Brian Kelly’s tenure at Notre Dame. But the Notre Dame offense certainly didn’t have a guy who could regularly take the top off a defense last season. Frankly, they haven’t had that type of player since Will Fuller left for the NFL.

But the aforementioned newcomers all have an opportunity to fill that role. If you’ve been paying attention, it seems like every day that they Irish coaching staff talks about a different receiver as a guy who had a tremendous spring practice.

Once in the running for graduate transfer Eric Kumah out of Virginia Tech (a guy that would have had some major big play potential), the Irish have seemed to pull out of the running for his services. That, in and of itself, should be an indication that Notre Dame’s coaching staff has confidence in the younger receivers.

As spring practice comes to its conclusion, the Irish get closer to figuring out who will be catching passes next year, with more answers coming in the fall. If the Irish are able to add a big-play element to their passing game, the offense could reach new heights in 2019.