Notre Dame Football: A look at the Wide Receivers in 2020
Field Receiver
The most interesting receiver position to follow in 2020 is undoubtably the ‘field’ or ‘outside’ receiver position. Returning at the field WR are juniors Braden Lenzy and Joe Wilkins, and also looking to get into the mix will be incoming freshmen Jordan Johnson and Jay Brunelle.
The likely starter, Braden Lenzy, burst onto the scene in a big way in 2019. The track star from Portland, Oregon displayed his speed in a variety of ways this season and showed that once the ball is in his hands, he is dangerous.
On the season, Lenzy tallied 11 catches for 254 yards and two TDs as well as 13 carries for 200 yards and two TDs. The speedster is a big play waiting to happen and is always someone the defense has to have their eye on when he is on the field.
Lenzy has had a problem in the past with actually getting the ball into his hands, as he is not the best catcher of the ball — but he is a major problem for the opposition once he does catch it.
Next in line to receive snaps at the field receiver spot is freshman Jordan Johnson. If you don’t know his name yet, you absolutely will by the end of 2020.
Johnson is ranked by 247sports as a 5-star WR with a grade of .9834. To put that in perspective, that makes Johnson the highest-rated WR Brian Kelly has recruited in his tenure at Notre Dame. The St.Louis, Missouri standout is the second highest ever ranked WR Notre Dame has pulled, behind Michael Floyd (.9914).
In Johnson’s senior season at DeSmet HS, he tallied 29 receptions for 587 yards and 9 TDs. He is an absolute monster and when you watch his film, and it is quite obvious why he draws comparisons to the LA Chargers star WR Keenan Allen.
Third on the depth chart is likely to be junior Joe Wilkins. It really hasn’t happened at ND yet for Wilkins, who is going into his third season and has yet to log a catch. Wilkins is a great athlete, but just has not received the looks or the playing time to show it on the field.
It is not likely that Wilkins ever becomes an impact WR at Notre Dame based on his career thus far and how Brian Kelly and Co. are recruiting the position, but if there was ever a time for Wilkins to make a move and earn more playing time, it is now.
Lastly, is freshman Jay Brunelle. The Paxton, MA product impressed at Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion camp, eventually putting his name on the Notre Dame coaches radar and earning himself an offer. Brunelle’s recruitment was an interesting one, as he looked seemingly destined to be attending Michigan, but the ND staff got Brunelle back on campus for another visit and he has been all Notre Dame since.
Brunelle is not the highest-rated receiver by any means, just a 3-star (.8593) on 247sports, however there is a reason why big schools such as Michigan, UCLA and Boston College coveted his pledge. The lengthy WR plays with a chip on his shoulder and is willing to outwork anyone in his way.
In his senior season, Brunelle tallied 52 receptions for 1071 yards and 11 TDs. Those are outstanding numbers for a 3-star WR. Expect Brunelle to be a big-time contributor in the Notre Dame offense throughout his career, though he may not shine right away.