Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2024 23 It's not so much a keeping Thomas on the field conversation as it is a getting on the field conversation at this point, as optimistic as he may be. It'll be dif- ficult to be a weekly factor in 2024 with Beaux Collins coming in from Clemson having every intention of being Notre Dame's starting boundary wide receiver. That complicates the situation for the Irish's longest standing wideout duo — Collins, Thomas and Colzie all play the same position. The Irish have a new wide receivers coach in Mike Brown, too, who became a part of the Notre Dame program at the same time as Collins. "It was kind of like perfect timing," Collins said. In taking over for Chansi Stuckey, Brown does not have any preconcep- tions about any of the 11 scholarship players within his position group. He won't play favorites. He won't favor Thomas and Colzie just because they've been around longer than anyone else in the room. If anything, he might sympa- thize with Collins for being a fellow new guy in town. It's human nature to grow fond of someone with similarities. Brown is still going to award play- ing time to the best boundary receiver, though, period — even if that's true freshman Micah Gilbert. The rookie, after all, had 2 touchdowns in the same Blue-Gold Game Colzie had 4 total catches and no end zone entrances. This isn't about spring game scores, though. Brown said in the spring he wants a rotation of six players in most games. That allows room for a starter and a backup at all three wide receiver spots. Remember, Collins, Colzie and Thomas are technically all compet- ing for three. Pigeonholing is outdated in football, so any of them can move around and gain traction for playing time somewhere else on the field, but as a general rule that trio is up against each other competing in the boundary. Colzie and Thomas are going to get a fair shake. "Deion has been great," Brown said. "He's been a really good leader for us, first and foremost. He's been a guy that has been around and he knows how things go. "He's really smart. He's been physical for us when we need him to be in all the jobs we ask him to do, and he's made plays. It's gonna be a good competition, and it's gonna be a good competition at all of our positions. So, I'm excited just to kind of watch." Brown added on Thomas, "I think he's done an outstanding job of just changing his body. … It looks like he's moving better. He's quick, a lot quicker than I thought he was, which has been good. He's done a good job for us into the boundary. We ask him to do a lot of different jobs. And he's taking owner- ship of it." Colzie humbly summed up how he can contribute for Notre Dame as a se- nior in spite of a rocky three-year road leading up to this season. "Playing my game and not trying to do anything anybody else does," he said. "Just play a game that Deion knows how to play. I can't do some things some people can and some people just natu- rally can't do what I can. Control what I can control and let it do what it do." Has he accomplished everything he set out to when he showed up in South Bend in 2021? No. People wouldn't be asking more of him if he had. But is there more out there for him to at- tain? More he can provide? Absolutely. His final chapter in South Bend hasn't been written. If it had, he'd be suiting up somewhere else. He's not. He's in the same place. So is Thomas. It was never really a firm thought of theirs to try to reinvent themselves away from the only program they've ever known, through the good and the bad. "I love Notre Dame," Colzie said. "Notre Dame has always and will al- ways have a special place in my heart. I feel like we are growing something re- ally special here. I trust these coaches. I trust Coach Freeman. I trust the play- ers. I feel like that we have a really solid team. I'm willing to do whatever to stay here and just compete with my boys." "I'm here to stay," Thomas added. "I'm here for Notre Dame, and I want to ultimately lead us to a national championship." ✦ Thomas has produced more than 300 receiv- ing yards in each of the last two seasons and believes he's capable of much more in 2024. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER