Notre Dame Football: Which all-time Irish greats would fit best in 2019?

Tim Brown

Even though many people believe strongly in the capabilities of the Notre Dame wide receivers in 2019, there still are a few question marks. After losing Miles Boykin to the NFL, the Irish receiving brigade could use a definite alpha dog and Tim Brown would more than fill that void.

Recently, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says that he believes that Ian Book will be better in 2019 after seeing Clemson’s defense in last year’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl. Could you imagine how much improvement Kelly would see if one of the guys he was throwing to was one of the best receivers in college football history?

Brown was absolutely electric at Notre Dame. In a time where there was far less emphasis on the passing game, Brown still put up good numbers. During his time in South Bend, Brown totaled 137 catches, nearly 2500 yards, and 16 receiving touchdowns over the course of his four college seasons.

Considering that Irish passers only completed a total of 82 passes in 165 attempts in 1987 (that’s just less than 50%, by the way), Brown’s senior year numbers (39 catches, 846 yards) were severely deflated.

Since Brandon Wimbush and Ian Book completed 268 passes in 316 attempts, Brown would have been maybe even twice as productive in a more pass-happy offense.

It’s kind of fun to think about what the Irish offense would look like with a receiver as dynamic as Tim Brown.