Confirmed with a source that Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Greathouse will not play this weekend when the Irish host the Boise State Broncos. Greathouse didn't practice on Thursday after suffering a right thigh injury earlier in the week. According to a source, this isn't a long term injury and Greathouse is expected to return quickly from the injury.
Greathouse has caught just four passes for 73 yards this season despite being the team's leading receiver (yards) a season ago. Much of the pass game to receivers has focused on the outside receivers, and the tight end and running backs have also been targeted heavily this season. This year's offense has spread the ball around in the pass game a bit more than we saw last season. Getting Greathouse going was the final piece to getting the pass game completely rolling, but that will have to wait at least one more week. When Greathouse was targeted he was clearly effective, making the toughest catch of the game in the win over Arkansas, hauling in a 24-yard slot fade through on the sideline.
With Greathouse out, expect transfer receiver Will Pauling to start in the slot. Pauling and Greathouse have been splitting reps this season with Jordan Faison dominating the reps outside. Instead of a three-man rotation for three spots, it has been a two-man rotation for one. That has also contributed to Greathouse's lack of production in the offense. Pauling has caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown this season after transferring over from Wisconsin. He is coming off his best performance of the season, hauling three passes for 53 yards and his first career touchdown for the Irish in the 56-13 win over Arkansas.
I would not be surprised if junior KK Smith is the player that gets more reps this weekend due to Greathouse being out, which will keep the receiver rotation to the field at three players. Smith can play the Z and slot positions, so he could spell both Faison and Pauling. Smith has two catches for 18 yards this season.
Greathouse caught 42 passes for 592 yards as a sophomore in 2024. He had a breakout coming in the postseason when he had his first 100-yard games in the Orange Bowl win over Penn State and national title game loss to Ohio State. Greathouse caught seven passes for 105 yards and a crucial game-tying touchdown in the win over the Nittany Lions. He caught six passes for 128 yards and a pair of scores against Ohio State. Greathouse was a driver of Notre Dame's second half comeback in the title game.
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