Notre Dame football: Is Lorenzo Styles Jr. ready to take over as WR1?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program suffered a devastating loss with Avery Davis being out for the year and are now turning to a true sophomore as WR1.
The 2022 Notre Dame football team suffered a major loss last Friday, as potential star wide receiver Avery Davis tore his other ACL. A true leader on and off the field Davis was supposed to thrive in the 2022 offense, taking over for Kevin Austin Jr. as the WR1, and leading a young group of wideouts alongside Braden Lenzy.
However, all of that changed in an instant, and now, the Irish are likely to turn to a true sophomore to take on that role. Lorenzo Styles Jr. performed well for the Irish during the 2021 season and had some breakout moments, but now, he will be entrusted with leading a depleted and thin wide receiver room.
Styles Jr., has more than enough physical ability to get the job done and has shown incredible leadership since stepping foot on campus last year. He has also had a strong offseason, so when it comes to his production on the field, the sky is the limit for him in 2022.
Notre Dame football has a budding star in Styles Jr.
As we saw during the Fiesta Bowl, Styles Jr. has star written all over him and should thrive in an expanded role in Year 2 in South Bend. Styles Jr. hauled in eight receptions for 136 yards, and had the first touchdown of the game, a 29-yard run and catch from Jack Coan.
That is the kind of production the team is going to need from him all 2022 long, and if he can perform the way he did on the biggest stage last season, there is no reason he cannot do it with a full season under his belt. He gets an early chance to prove his worth in Week 1, as he takes on an elite Ohio State defense, so that is something to keep an eye on.
Of course, no position group can do it with one man, so guys like Lenzy, Deion Colzie, Tobias Merriweather and Jayden Thomas will have to step up in a big way. Matt Salerno is having a solid camp, and Xavier Watts just moved back to wideout from cornerback, so there is talent there, and Styles Jr. needs to lead a group that could overachieve in a big way in 2022.