Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 17, 2020 11 UNDER THE DOME Junior wide receiver Braden Lenzy, one of the nation's fastest football recruits in 2018, hung up the track cleats his fresh- man year to concentrate solely on becoming much more well- rounded in football. You might even say he "ze- roed" in on it. This summer, when the NCAA permitted the number 0 to be used in college football, Lenzy requested it to switch from No. 25. "When I looked at 25, it just kind of reminded me of what I was in high school and early on in college — just a sprinter, a runner, a track guy playing football," Lenzy explained. "I thought getting a single-digit number would kind of make me feel more like a true receiver, which I feel like that's what I developed into. And no one's ever worn it before … I thought that would be cool. And I'm from Oregon — 0." Oregon is also the home of Nike, where Lenzy's father Melvin has been a senior global brand director. That work led to regular interaction with top clients such as the late former NBA icon Kobe Bryant. One conversation Lenzy especially remembers with Bry- ant came after a basketball tour- nament he was in. "He asked me about the tour- nament, and I said I was sore," Lenzy recalled. "He said, 'Well, did you take an ice bath?' And I was like, 'No, I can't, it hurts too much. I can't take an ice bath.' And he goes, 'My young- est daughter takes an ice bath. If you won't take an ice bath, you won't be great.' "I've taken a lot of ice baths since." Health ailments and a ham- string injury prevented Lenzy from seeing action in the opener versus Duke this year, but he returned to action with three catches for 34 yards in the 52-0 romp versus USF on Sept. 19. "I think for me in quarantine and just COVID, it kind of helped me mature and realize what my priorities are and what I want to focus on and who I want to be," he said. "My hope and my goal is for one to see us win, but two that I can show my development and just kind of grow into myself and advance as a football player." — Lou Somogyi Our life plan community for those over the age of 62, provides residents with exceptional personalized services, a secure atmosphere and carefree luxury lifestyle – while making it possible to ease into further healthcare levels as needs change throughout retirement years. Braden Lenzy 'Zeroes In' On Improving Lenzy hung up his track cleats his freshman year to concentrate solely on becoming a well-rounded wide receiver. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL