Notre Dame football: Wide receiver may not be as big an issue in 2022

The Notre Dame football program lost two key wideout commits for the 2022 cycle, but the position group may still be in better shape next season.

The Notre Dame football program put together a solid 2022 recruiting class, finishing as the No. 7 group in the entire country. Filling voids on both sides of the ball, this is going to be a special group in South Bend, and it will be interesting to see which players crack the starting lineup in Year 1.

Despite bringing in big-time recruits on offense and defense, Notre Dame still lost two key players at the wide receiver position. Both C.J. Williams and Amorion Walker were supposed to be putting on the Blue and Gold next season, but instead, Williams will play for USC, and Walker will attend Michigan.

Sure, these are key losses for the class, but the Irish had a nice group in the 2021 cycle at the position, including Lorenzo Styles Jr., who dominated as a true freshman. Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas may not have gotten as much of a workload as Styles did in 2021, but they are talented wideouts who will get a chance to rocket up the depth chart this offseason.

Notre Dame football needs key wideouts to return

When thinking of the position group moving forward, a few names stand out as guys the Irish are hoping will return for another go-around. Kevin Austin Jr. and Braden Lenzy are two players who have battled injuries during their time in South Bend, and while they played well in 2021, they may want to come back for another season.

Austin and Lenzy both proved to be deep threats within the offense, and when you consider what Styles was able to do, that is a pretty strong top-3 on the depth chart heading into the spring. Also, Tobias Merriweather is going to be an absolute star for the Irish, possessing the kind of size, speed, and route-running ability that could eventually make him a high draft pick a few years down the road.

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If the Irish can get either Lenzy or Austin or both, to return for the 2022 season, they could be set at the wideout position. Merriweather is going to be a special player, even in Year 1, so while they may not be as deep as in recent years at the position, the top-line talent could be as good as they have had in quite some time.