2020 Notre Dame Football Preview

Digital Edition

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview

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production came on a handful of plays: wide receiver handoffs, screens and deep routes. Now that there are nine games worth of collegiate film on him, if Lenzy wants to have the on-the-field impact he expects from himself, his short and intermediate route running must improve. The primary routes he plans to master and add to his repertoire are the slant and the curl. Neither is technically considered advanced for a collegiate wide receiver, but mastery requires minute attention to detail that comes only from endless repetition. The curl, in particular, should allow his speed to become even more of a weapon if he can fool opposing defensive backs into believing he's going deep. "If I can make it look like a post and come back, it'll open up a lot of things for us," Lenzy said. Perfecting these routes should be easy compared to all that he overcame to get on the field at Notre Dame in the first place. He arrived at Notre Dame weighing close to 160 pounds and had issues with dropping the football, which prevented him from ever using his most valuable weapon: his speed. Classmate Joe Wilkins, recruited as a cor- nerback, also moved to wide receiver during fall camp and quickly ascended on the depth chart past Lenzy, who wasn't progressing. By fall break, social media was abuzz with rumors that Lenzy would be switched to defensive back. After fighting the urge to believe un- founded rumors, he decided his lone option was to persevere and looked to prove himself during spring practice of his freshman season. Lenzy harked back to his training as a child. From an early age, he worked with renowned basketball trainer and family friend Chris Thomas (not the former Notre Dame basketball star), who intention- ally put Lenzy and his younger brother, Max, through drills where failure was inevitable, such as requiring them to do 100 pushups in the course of a session — a near-impossible task for a pee-wee football player. "They were young enough to be emo- tional about not being able to get through drills and exercises, and break down and cry," Thomas said. "But once physical maturity and mental maturity set in, the crying, the whimpering and making ex- cuses went away and true determination set in for Braden." Growing up, Lenzy also sought advice from NBA Hall-Of-Famer and indefatigable worker Kobe Bryant, a relationship his fa- ther developed through his work with Nike. Bryant passed away in January and is fondly remembered for the profound impact he had on other athletes, always trying to inspire greatness. His relationship with Lenzy, even at a young age, was no different — Bryant shared how to formulate a killer instinct and a win-at-all-cost mentality. There was also a lighter side to their re- lationship. "He always joked with Braden," Melvin said. "He was like, 'I hate Notre Dame, but I'll root for you while you're playing there — except when you play USC; I'll be rooting for the Trojans.'" The wisdom and lessons Thomas and Bryant imparted must have had a positive influ- ence on Lenzy because, by the time the 2019 fall camp began, he weighed 183 pounds and had gone from dropping 50 percent of the balls thrown his way to hauling in nearly every pass in his vicinity. The start of the season didn't go as he expected, but by the USC game on Oct. 12, Lenzy was ready to contribute in a meaning- ful way and took a reverse to the house for a 51-yard touchdown in an eventual 30-27 Notre Dame victory. While his on-the-field contribution to the team in 2020 has yet to be determined, Lenzy has already shown that he is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. With advanced route running and a stronger build, the rising junior could evolve into a promi- nent weapon. But even if he produces 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season, it's hard to imagine that his play will match the im- pact he's had away from the gridiron. Lenzy wasn't the lone football player to speak out after George Floyd was murdered, but his letter to America was heart- felt and reminded us all that, like his teammates, Lenzy is more than a Notre Dame athlete, and it's time to stand with him. ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 65 "Everyone knows now that I'm really fast. They know my three plays. This year, I've got to build around that so they can't just anticipate my moves." LENZY Lenzy utilized his speed to produce several big plays in 2019, ranking first on the team in average yards per play (18.7) among offensive skill players with a minimum of 15 touches. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS

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