With news that Notre Dame football will be parting ways, effective immediately, with wide receiver coach Chansi Stuckey, the wide receiver room is a huge question mark.
Though it seemed Chansi Stuckey had the recruiting moving in an unquestionably positive direction, the on-field result was stagnant as usual. Where does that leave Notre Dame football after his firing?
While personally, I’ll miss coach Stuckey, the on-the-field results are pretty hard to dispute, no matter the increased success in recruiting. This season Notre Dame’s leading receiver, converted running back Chris Tyree, who tallied 484 yards. Tyree has since declared his transfer intentions, and yet again, the wide receiver room will be looking for a new leader in yards.
Following close was Mitchell Evans, who, if not for injury, would’ve put up much higher numbers than Tyree. Like Mayer the previous year, the Notre Dame football tight end showed the most consistent production and ability to create separation. Evans logged 422 receiving yards and a touchdown in 8 games played this year.
Notre Dame football picking up the pieces after Chansi Stuckey firing
To be fair to Stuckey, the younger receivers he recruited looked like they were taking strides in the right direction. Jaden Greathouse started the year on fire until an injury sidelined him and kept him down for a few games. He only missed one but was hampered by the setback in at least a few. Rico Flores turned it on immensely toward the end of the year, which was capped by his performance in the second to last game with 8 receptions for 102 yards.
It remains to be seen if Cam Williams, Logan Saldate, and Micah Gilbert, the current wide receiver commitments in the class of 2024, will stick around. Even with coach Stuckey’s departure, the trio looks to be locked in with the Notre Dame football program. All of the recruits have bright futures but Williams looks poised to make an immediate impact next season.
All in all, the recruiting has been better, still, the room remains a fairly big disappointment even after this season with gun-slinger Sam Hartman at the helm. Whoever the Irish bring in, we have to hope for a track record of proven development, otherwise, the Notre Dame football is in for more of the same.