Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 65 WIDE RECEIVERS POSITION COACH DelVaughn Alexander, a coach- ing veteran with more than two decades of experience at the col- legiate level, is entering his third season at Notre Dame. In his second season with the Fighting Irish, Alexander guided a wide receiver group led by Miles Boykin, who was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Boykin, Chase Claypool and Chris Finke took the majority of snaps out wide last fall and made their presence known. The trio combined for 158 catches for 2,082 yards and 14 touchdowns — an improvement from 2017. During his first year in South Bend, his Irish wide- outs accounted for 62.1 percent of the team's re- ceptions (113 of 182), 73.8 percent of the receiving yards (1,716 of 2,326) and 75.0 percent of the touch- down catches (15 of 20). Alexander came to South Bend following five sea- sons at Arizona State, where he coached wide re- ceivers and oversaw the Sun Devils' passing game from 2012-15 before mentoring tight ends in 2016. Prior to his time at ASU, Alexander spent five sea- sons (2007-11) at Wisconsin as the wide receivers coach. He was a part of two Big Ten championships and five bowl appearances, highlighted by back-to- back Rose Bowls in 2010 and 2011. Alexander also served as the running backs coach, assistant travel coordinator, assistant special teams coordinator and NCAA rules representative at the University of San Diego (2005-06) under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh. In addition, he was the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach at Oregon State (2003-04), and coached wide receivers and quarterbacks at UNLV (2000-02). In 1999, he worked for the San Diego Chargers as a senior offensive assistant. The Los Angeles native spent two years as a wide re- ceiver for his hometown USC Trojans (1993-94) while lettering in both football and track, and earned his bachelor's degree in social sciences/history in 1995. He began his coaching career at his alma mater that same year, serving as an assistant video coordinator. He spent the next two years (1996-97) as a graduate assistant for the Trojans, working with the tight ends. RETURNING PLAYERS KEVIN AUSTIN JR. • WR So. • Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 210 • Reeled in five passes for 90 yards while seeing action in 11 games last fall. • Notched a career-long 38-yard reception versus Navy. • Was a do-it-all weapon at North Broward Prep, notching 761 yards and 11 touchdowns as a pass catcher plus 390 yards and two touchdowns on the ground during his senior season. • Selected to compete in Nike's The Opening and the Miami-Dade County North vs. South All-Star Game in 2017. • Ranked by Rivals as a four-star recruit, the No. 22 player in Florida, and the No. 15 wide receiver and No. 88 overall prospect in the country. Year G-GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD 2018 11-0 5 90 18.0 0 CHASE CLAYPOOL • WR Sr. • Abbotsford, British Columbia Ht.: 6-4½ • Wt.: 229 • Played in every game and made 12 starts during his junior season. • Hauled in 50 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. • Had standout performances against Northwest- ern, tallying eight catches for 130 yards, and against No. 12 Syracuse, racking up 98 yards and a score. • Appeared in 12 games and made eight starts as a sophomore. • Shined against Wake Forest, reeling in nine passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. • Played in every game during his freshman season and especially excelled on special teams, leading the team in tackles (11) in that area of the game. • Set records at Abbotsford Secondary School by be- coming the all-time leader in receptions (79), re- ceiving yards (2,157), receiving touchdowns (29), all-purpose yards (3,575) and interceptions (six). • Rated by Rivals as a four-star talent, and the na- tion's No. 22 wideout and No. 109 overall player. Year G-GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD 2016 12-0 5 81 16.2 0 2017 12-8 29 402 13.9 2 2018 13-12 50 639 12.8 4 Totals 37-20 84 1,122 13.4 6 CHRIS FINKE • WR 5th-Sr. • Kettering, Ohio Ht.: 5-9½ • Wt.: 180 • Played in every game during the 2018 season, and registered 49 catches for 571 yards and two scores. • Returned 20 punts for 196 yards, highlighted by a season-high 52-yarder against Wake Forest. • Appeared in 13 games with one start in 2017 and made six catches for 102 yards (17.0 yards per grab). • Served as the team's punt returner and averaged 6.5 yards on 24 attempts. • Played in 10 games as a reserve in 2016, catching 10 passes for 122 yards and two scores, while also returning nine punts for 70 yards and five kickoffs for 85 yards. • Arrived at Notre Dame as a walk-on in 2015, but went on to earn a scholarship prior to the 2016 campaign. • Went unranked by major recruiting services, but registered 1,516 all-purpose yards and scored 10 touchdowns during his senior season at Arch- bishop Alter High School. Year G-GS Rec. Yards Avg. TD 2016 10-0 10 122 12.2 2 2017 13-1 6 102 17.0 0 2018 13-7 49 571 11.7 2 Totals 36-8 65 795 12.2 4 MICAH JONES • WR So. • Gurnee, Ill. Ht.: 6-4½ • Wt.: 215 • Did not see game action during his first year at Notre Dame. • Named The Chicago Tribune/ News-Sun 2017 Football Player of the Year and was tabbed as an All-Illinois first-team wide receiver by USA Today. • Hauled in 53 catches for 824 yards and 12 scores during his senior season at Warren High School. • Ranked as a four-star talent, the No. 2 prospect in Illinois, and the No. 38 wideout and No. 192 overall player in the nation by Rivals. LAWRENCE KEYS III • WR So. • New Orleans Ht.: 5-10½ • Wt.:170 • Did not see game action during his first year at Notre Dame. • Named first-team 4A All-State by the Louisiana Sports Writer Association as a senior and was an honorable mention pick as a junior. • Snared 58 receptions for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. • Rated by ESPN as a four-star prospect, the No. 4 recruit in Louisiana and the No. 21 wide receiver in the country. BRADEN LENZY • WR So. • Tigard, Ore. Ht.: 5-11½ • Wt.: 184 • Did not see game action during his first year at Notre Dame. • Played both ways in high school, registering 1,010 yards BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 65 Measuring 6-4½, 215 pounds, Micah Jones was one of five wide receivers in the 2018 recruiting haul. The group provides the Irish various levels of size, strength and speed. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA