Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133608
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 63 WIDE RECEIVERS NOTABLE DATA Last year, Notre Dame "officially" ran 954 plays on offense. Then-junior wide receiver Chase Claypool was on the field for 846 of those snaps (88.7 percent), the most among any Fighting Irish skill player. Among the starting wideouts, senior Miles Boykin had 788 snaps (82.6 percent) and senior Chris Finke 646 (67.8 percent). Double tight end alignments often took up the snaps when "The Big Three" weren't on the field. No other 2018 wideout took more than 125 snaps, which averages out to about 10 per game. The development of junior Michael Young and five sophomores this year will be critical to having a better rotation. Otherwise, the snap counts will be eaten up again by multiple tight ends or even running backs such as Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr. getting split out wide. QUOTABLE: JUNIOR MICHAEL YOUNG FOLLOWING A SPRING IN WHICH HE BECAME THE TOP RECEIVER ON THE WIDE SIDE OF THE FIELD AFTER CHASE CLAYPOOL MOVED TO THE BOUNDARY SIDE: "I can be the speed guy. I can go get it on the post or go routes, I can be the intermediate guy — the hitches, the digs. I can be the short, quick guy to try to take if for 70. At this point in my career, I understand what the coaches are asking me to do. Whatever they need me to do, I do." 2018 VS. 2019: STOCK UP OR DOWN? The excitement surrounding the 2019 depth chart combines a bit of old with new. Notre Dame returns a pair of battle-tested performers in Chris Finke and Chase Clay- pool, who is coming off an outstanding spring and is primed to become the team's go-to playmaker, much like Miles Boykin last year. A productive spring from rising junior Michael Young and the emergence of Notre Dame's untested but talented sophomore class provides the rotation with more depth, speed and playmaking ability than it showed a season ago when the wide receiver corps was more one dimensional. Claypool must prove he can be "the man," Young needs to show he can handle a bigger workload, and the younger wideouts are starting from scratch, but expectations are high for this unit. X-FACTOR The easy pick would be junior Mi- chael Young, who flashed big-play po- tential a season ago. But because he was the X-Factor pick a year ago, let's mix it up. Kevin Austin Jr. is the most tal- ented among the five sophomores, and classmate Braden Lenzy is the fastest at the position. Both will have a chance to make an impact this fall — but don't be surprised if the most productive player from the class is Lawrence Keys III, who was a star during the spring. Keys is a precise route runner who has a knack for getting open and was a matchup problem in the slot. FRESHMAN OUTLOOK Cracking the rotation will be a challenge for the two rookies, Cam Hart and Kendall Abdur-Rahman. Hart is a long (6-3) and physical athlete who made plays on both sides of the ball as a prep player. He has top-notch vertical speed and was especially effective after the catch, which is why he was arguably the top receiver on the board for the staff in 2019. Abdur-Rahman was a prep quarterback who has a lot to learn about playing wideout, but his quickness, toughness and playmaking potential are enticing. DID YOU KNOW? Fifth-year senior Chris Finke will attempt to become the fifth former walk-on at Notre Dame in the past 50 years on offense or defense (that we know of) to get drafted by the NFL. The popular comparison often made with Finke is to former Clemson walk-on wideout Hunter Renfrow (2015-18), who was selected in the fifth round this spring. Finke is measured at 5-9½, 180 pounds, while Renfrow was listed 5-10, 183. Last year their stats were practically identical, with Renfrow snaring 49 passes for 544 yards and a score while Finke had 49 for 571 yards and two touchdowns. Other former walk-ons since the 1969 season to be drafted were center Mike Oriard (fifth round in 1970), cornerback Tim Rudnick (11th round in 1974), offensive lineman Mike Bren - nan (fourth round in 1990) and cornerback Shane Walton (fifth round in 2003). Undrafted Pat Eilers played in the NFL from 1990-95. Junior Michael Young accounted for two of the three longest pass plays (66 and 47 yards) by Irish wide receivers last year. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL