Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2022 25 ALL EYES ON WIDE RECEIVERS You thought the running back num- bers were low? Take a look at the wide receivers. Notre Dame began spring practices with six fully healthy scholarship wide receivers: Graduate students Braden Lenzy, Joe Wilkins Jr. and Matt Salerno and sophomores Lorenzo Styles, Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas. Graduate stu- dent Avery Davis is still rehabbing from knee surgery, and freshman Tobias Mer- riweather does not arrive until summer. If there was ever a time for Colzie to show he can be the Kevin Austin Jr. replacement, it's now. Styles can take more of a stranglehold on the slot, while Thomas, Lenzy and Wilkins can compete for reps at the field receiver position. Salerno is going to make plays and im- press in practices. It's what he does. But it still might not be enough to get him on the field once Davis returns this fall. The Irish wideouts have heard the buzz. Numbers are thin in their position group, and replacing Austin's team-lead- ing production isn't going to be easy. Now is the time to quell some of the nervous- ness fans have regarding expectations of pass catchers. The spring can set the foundation for what the fall will look like. The Notre Dame quarterbacks have full faith in their targets, at least. "I think we're going to be really good," sophomore Tyler Buchner said. "I've seen a group that works really hard," junior Drew Pyne added. "Coach [Chansi] Stuckey came in here, and they got right into the film room. They've worked really hard off the field but also really hard on the field. "Those guys are in there with [Stuckey], and they can't stop talking about how great he is. It really shows on the field." Much of this falls on the shoulders of Stuckey, too. He'll be under the micro- scope as much as any of Notre Dame's new assistant coaches. This is only his second year as a wide receivers coach and fourth year in college football coaching overall. His accolades speak for them- selves as a player, but he's still learning on the fly when it comes to coaching. If there was a coach who stood out more than the others during Notre Dame's first spring practice, though, it was Stuckey. He's very engaging with his players and clearly demands a high- level work ethic from all of them. "The only way we're going to reach the vision I have for that wide receiver room is if it's super, super competitive — but in a great way," Stuckey said. "That's what we were able to do at Baylor; create a room that's super competitive. "Guys understood if they were sup- posed to be the man, they needed to act like it. Step up, take the weight, or you're going to get passed by." KEEPING WATCH ON THE EARLY ENROLLEES Rees raved about Price, and rightfully so. He's as interesting an early enrollee freshman as any this spring. But that's not to say there aren't a lot to choose from. A whole dozen, including the top- ranked player in the class: linebacker Jaylen Sneed. Senior linebacker Marist Liufau wel- comed one-third of the early enrollee freshmen to his own position group; Sneed, Joshua Burnham, Nolan Ziegler and Niuafe "Junior" Tuihalamaka. He was impressed by the entire quartet and said he could not believe how much big- ger each set of early enrollees are year after year. They come more ready to play than the previous class every time. That much is most likely true of quar- terback Steve Angeli, who already has more of a physical presence than soph- omore Tyler Buchner or junior Drew Pyne. Angeli was noticeably comfort- able and confident on the first day of spring practice. "Steve's been a great addition to the quarterback room," Buchner said. "He's just a great person, which is most im- portant. … He's also going to be a really good player here. "He's shown it on the field when we throw. I'm really excited to see him keep improving and see him ball out this spring." Notre Dame also has two early enroll- ees along the offensive line, Billy Schr- auth and Joey Tanona; two along the defensive line, Tyson Ford and Aidan Gobaira; and two defensive backs, Jaden Mickey and Jayden Bellamy. Schrauth is rehabbing from an offsea- son foot surgery, but the rest of those players should be capable of putting themselves in a position to play right away. Some walked into more fortunate situations than others concerning play- ing time, but Freeman wants them all to grow from this spring session regardless of respective circumstances. "I just don't want those guys to get frustrated when they see grown men that have done it over and over and over that are in front of them and they're like, 'Maybe I'm not [good enough],'" Freeman said. "No, you're really good. These guys were all you at some point. I'm just trying to keep encouraging those young guys. "Keep learning, hang around the guys that do things right and then keep studying and keep working your tail off. It'll come." ✦ Linebacker Jaylen Sneed is among an impressive group of early enrollee freshmen who are participating in spring practice. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER