Notre Dame football: There is still enough talent at WR for the Irish
By Brad Weiss
Despite losing Avery Davis to injury for the season, the Notre Dame football team still has enough talent at the wide receiver position.
Last week, the Notre Dame football program as a whole suffered a terrible injury, as veteran wide receiver Avery Davis tore his other ACL, ending his collegiate career. For Davis, it had been an incredible, but trying career in South Bend, as he switched positions a few times, and had to battle back from some significant injuries.
Now, the team needs to go into the 2022 regular season with some real question marks on offense, including the wide receiver group. Even before Davis’s injury, this was a group that had some real depth issues, and now, they will have to make do without a player that many felt would have a Kevin Austin Jr.-like final season in South Bend.
However, while the actual number of wide receivers may not be what you hope for, this is not a group that is without talent, not by a long shot.
Notre Dame football still talented at wide receiver
With Davis out, it looks like true sophomore Lorenzo Styles Jr. will take over as the WR1 for the Irish, this after a breakout campaign in 2021. Styles Jr. really came on towards the end of the season and ended up dominating in the Fiesta Bowl, hauling in over 100 yards and a touchdown.
Veteran Braden Lenzy is also a talented wideout that will be counted on in a big way, and he has as much big-play ability as any wideout on this roster. Tobias Merriweather has looked outstanding since stepping foot on campus, and all signs now point to him having a monster season in South Bend in Year 1.
The talent does not stop there, as Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie are both young wide receivers who have flashed this spring and summer. Xavier Watts is looking to make the move back to wide receiver from cornerback, and Matt Salerno is a shifty wideout who could have a big role in this offense in 2022 as well.
So while the huge numbers are not there, and not many players have done much of anything at the collegiate level yet, this is not a position group that is without talent. In fact, it could be a position group that shocks the college football landscape in 2022.