Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2022 33 BY MIKE SINGER On Jan. 24, Notre Dame officially named Chansi Stuckey as its new wide receivers coach, and it came on a day where college coaches were able to be on the road to recruit at high schools. Stuckey made his first two stops in the Austin, Texas, area, dropping in at the respective high schools of Braylon James and Jaden Greathouse, a pair of impressive four-star receiver prospects. At that point in time, Notre Dame looked like a long shot for James, who was rumored to be a heavy Stanford lean at the time. And as for Greathouse, Notre Dame offered him a scholarship on New Year's Eve. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and director of recruiting Chad Bowden were in pursuit of Greathouse, but whether he clicked with the new re- ceivers coach would be crucial in his consideration of the Irish. Fast forward to mid-July, and Stuckey has gone two for two on the players he went out to recruit that first day. James committed to the Irish in the spring, and Greathouse picked Notre Dame July 15. Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas were the finalists for Greathouse, who stars on the gridiron and basketball court for Austin (Texas) Westlake. "The main reason why I chose Notre Dame was because of the degree," Great- house told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It's one of the best in the country, and the football is great too. They were No. 5 in the country last year, and I really believe in what Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Chansi] Stuckey and Coach [Tommy] Rees are doing. I'm super excited for what they have going on. I want to be a part of something like that." Freeman, Rees and Stuckey were all key figures in Greathouse choosing the Fighting Irish, selling him on what Notre Dame can do for him on and off the field. "Extremely important," Greathouse said of the staff in his commitment. "I have a great rela- tionship with all the coaches. We talk every day. They were really about me from the start. "From the get- go, they were super adamant about me and really wanted me. They kept in c o n s t a n t c o m - munication every single day. They really showed that they care." Greathouse in- fo r m e d S t u c key during his official visit to Notre Dame June 17-19 that he would be committing to the Irish. He an- nounced his decision about a month later. "I told him that this was the place I wanted to be and where I can succeed in life," Greathouse said. Along with James and Greathouse, Notre Dame has two other commit- ments from the Lone Star State in Den- ton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen and Houston The Kinkaid School cor- nerback Micah Bell. "Braylon and I are really good friends," Greathouse said. "We talk every day. I also talk with Peyton Bowen, and we're good friends. I think we're going to be the next 'Wide Receiver U' in college football." The Irish could sign its best class in a decade in this cycle, but there's a glaring need for a quarterback. Notre Dame re- cently offered Dripping Springs (Texas) High's Austin Novosad, a Baylor com- mit. Greathouse, James and Novosad are all from the Austin area as well. "We went to middle school together," Greathouse said of Novosad. "I've been on him a little bit already. We're try- ing to get him to switch." The Texas Long- h o r n s o f f e r e d Greathouse nearly two years before Notre Dame did, and there was a lot of local pull for him to stay close to home. But as Lou Holtz once said, "Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation's nec- essary." "I have a lot of people in my ear saying to stay close and go to Texas or Oklahoma, but I'm definitely excited for this experience," Greathouse added. "I can't wait to get up to Notre Dame." In helping lead Westlake to a 16-0 re- cord in 2021, Greathouse caught 66 passes for 1,274 yards (19.3 yards per catch) with 20 touchdowns. The Chaparrals captured the Texas 6A Division II state champion- ship, and he caught 7 passes for 236 yards and 3 scores in the 40-21 triumph over Denton (Texas) Guyer. Greathouse was named MVP of the title game after setting the record for most receiving yards in a Texas 6A state championship game. He holds every major receiving re- cord at Westlake High. Through three seasons and 46 total games, Greathouse has snagged 182 passes for 3,134 yards and 43 touchdowns. He was named to the 2021 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-Amer- ica Team. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JADEN GREATHOUSE Irish Pluck Wide Receiver Out Of The Longhorns' Backyard Greathouse helped lead Austin (Texas) Westlake to a 16-0 record and the Texas 6A Division II state championship in 2021. He had 66 receptions for 1,274 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season and was named MVP of the state title game. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER "The main reason why I chose Notre Dame was because of the degree. It's one of the best in the country, and the football is great too." GREATHOUSE FILM ANALYSIS "He's a good route runner, especially for his size. Greathouse can box out defenders, knows how to use his body and adjust to balls in the air. He has good ball skills, tracks the ball over his shoulder and fights through contact. He's good after the catch as well. He can bully defenders and run through arm tackles. "You see all of this with his ability as a basketball player. He's not an above-the-rim dunker. He's a coordinated, shooter who is smooth, savvy and understands footwork and how to position himself. You see that transfer over to his skills as a wide receiver." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power