Notre Dame football: Deion Colzie to make a big impact in 2022
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team may not have a ton of bodies at the wideout position, but they have talent, and one could break out in a big way in 2022.
During the 2021 college football season, the Notre Dame football team saw the emergence of true freshman Lorenzo Styles Jr. at wide receiver. Playing a smaller role during the regular season, Styles broke out against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, putting a capper on a true freshman season that raises expectations for him in 2022.
While Styles is a given to have a big year, as he is not only one of the more talented wideouts on the roster but also Tyler Buchner’s roommate, other true sophomores could step up as well. One of those is Deion Colzie, a second-year player with a big frame, and one who could see a lot of reps this spring and summer due to injuries to the position group.
Colzie did not get a lot of playing time last year, appearing in only four games for the Irish. In those games, he hauled in four catches for 67 yards, and overall, he had a catch in every game he played in, including a 31-yard catch against Navy.
In 2022, you can expect him to have a big impact on offense, especially with the Irish only having potentially six scholarship wideouts for the matchup against Ohio State in the season opener.
Notre Dame football depleted at wide receiver
Joe Wilkins had to have surgery on Friday, and with Avery Davis already out, recovering from a torn ACL this past November, the numbers are small at the position group this offseason. That means more reps for players like Colzie, and Jayden Thomas, another true sophomore who is looking to make more of an impact in Year 2.
However, Brian Driskell of Irish Breakdown recently stated that Colzie has arguably the highest ceiling of any of the young wideouts on this roster, and it will be up to him to take advantage of this opportunity.
There are plenty of questions that need to be answered this offseason, and wide receiver is at the forefront of their issues going into the summer months. If he can step up, Colzie could fix a lot of the depth problems on this Notre Dame football team, but if he exceeds expectations, he could end up starting before all is said and done.