Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
50 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TYLER HORKA If there was a magnifying glass on the Notre Dame wide receivers in 2022, then the Hubble Space Telescope might as well be pointed at South Bend in 2023. Every little thing that position group does, or doesn't do, this year will be well documented by the masses. Tight end Michael Mayer meant ev- erything to the Notre Dame passing game last season. He caught 36 percent of the team's touchdown passes and accounted for 29.9 percent of the total yards through the air. Now, he's gone. Off to the NFL. It's not going to be easy to replace the most decorated tight end in program history. One player can't do it by him- self. It's going to take a collection of them picking up the slack. Enter Austin (Texas) Westlake true freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. Greathouse joins a Notre Dame wide- out corps whose top receiver, Jayden Thomas, gained 361 yards in 13 games. Lorenzo Styles caught the most passes of any Notre Dame wideout with 30 in 13 games. No Notre Dame wide receiver caught more than 3 touchdown passes in 2022. Greathouse could get to 361 yards and 3 touchdowns in a couple of games at Westlake. Give him half a dozen games, if that, to get to 30 catches. The two-time state champion and one-time state championship game Jaden Greathouse Headlines Notre Dame's Impressive Receiver Haul Greathouse is Austin (Texas) Westlake's all-time leader in receptions (232), receiving yards (4,035) and receiving touchdowns (53). PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM JADEN GREATHOUSE WIDE RECEIVER 6-2 · 200 WESTLAKE H.S. AUSTIN, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 163 24 30 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 122 4 21 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 107 17 21 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 44 54 STATISTICS • Totaled 232 catches for 4,035 yards with 53 touchdowns during his high school career while helping his school to a record of 58-2. • Three-time Texas 6A state champion (2019, 2020 and 2021). • Caught 51 passes for 915 yards and 10 touch- downs during his senior season. • Hauled in 65 receptions for 1,260 yards and 20 scores as a junior in 2021. • Record holder for most receiving yards ever in a state championship game (236 in 2021 title game). • All-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and starts in Westlake history. • Ranks 15th all time in receiving yards in Texas high school football history. NOTABLE • 2022 Texas Football District 26-6A first-team offense. • 2021 MaxPreps Junior All-American first-team offense. • 2020 MaxPreps Sophomore All-American first- team offense. • 2020 MaxPreps Texas High School Football All- State second-team offense. • 2019 Texas District 25-6A Co-Offensive New- comer of the Year. • Also played basketball for Westlake and aver- aged 13.8 points per game as a junior. • His uncle, Oscar Giles, is the defensive line coach at Wyoming. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 15, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Fighting Irish over Texas, South Car- olina and Oklahoma. • Recruited by Irish receivers coach Chansi Stuckey. • Visited Notre Dame four times, including his official visit on June 17, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Folks at Notre Dame believe Greathouse has a terrific opportunity to make an impact as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees: "When you look at [Jaden] Great- house and Reek [Rico Flores], they're pretty pol- ished. Physically — from a strength standpoint — they can come in and compete. They understand the nuance of running routes and have a natural feel for it." On3 director of scouting and recruiting Charles Power: "He's a good route runner, especially for his size. He 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 basket- ball 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." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He had a terrific quarterback [Cade Klubnik, now a sophomore at Clemson] throwing to him, but Greathouse has the size, strength and instincts to become a go-to wide receiver at the next level. He shows good ball skills, knows how to get open and can create after the catch. Jaden has that extra gear to pull away from defenders. "A vertical threat, he has really improved his route running, is able to highpoint the ball and catch the ball in traffic as well as any wide receiver in the state. Quick feet, agility, route running, and smarts makes Jaden a premier ball player."