Notre Dame receivers solidify their roles, showcasing emergent playmakers and promising depth for the upcoming season. Injuries loom, but potential is high.
Notre Dame went into the spring with a lot of questions at wide receiver, and throughout the spring we started to get some answers. The room had a strong spring, and some of the potential of the group turned into impact performances throughout the spring. It's a deep group that will get even deeper this summer as players return from injury. Expectations are high for this unit, as the Irish look to finally produce a big time wide receiver room.
Here's the post-spring depth chart projection for the Notre Dame receiver room.
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Jordan Faison - 49 catches, 640 yards, 13.1 YPC, 4 TD
Jaden Greathouse - 42 catches, 592 yards, 14.1 YPC, 4 TD (2024)
Micah Gilbert - 9 catches, 93 yards, 10.3 YPC, 1 TD
Mylan Graham - 6 catches, 93 yards, 15.5 YPC, 0 TD
Quincy Porter - 4 catches, 59 yards, 14.8 YPC, 0 TD
Elijah Burress - 3 catches, 21 yards, 7.0 YPC, 0 TD
Matt Jeffery - 1 catch, 37 yards, 0 TD
Cam Williams - 1 catch, 6 yards, 0 TD
Jerome Bettis Jr. - 1 catch, 6 yards, 0 TD
Logan Saldate - 1 catch, 2 yards, 0 TD
Before diving into the specifics, the photo below shows where each spot lines up in the base offense.
X RECEIVER
Senior Jordan Faison decided not to play lacrosse this spring so he could focus on football, and it paid off. Faison was the team's leading receiver last season and he's obviously got that spot locked down again heading into the summer. I expect a bit more interchangeableness to the wide receiver depth chart in the fall, which means Faison could also play some in the slot, but he'll likely once again be the starting X.
Redshirt freshman Elijah Burress showed growth this spring and was consistently the second X to take the field. He'll need to continue adding play strength and being more consistent to force his way into the rotation, but there's no doubting his ability. Redshirt sophomore Logan Saldate moved out to X this spring and made his presence felt. Freshman Dylan Faison will likely start at the same spot his older brother plays when he arrives to the football team in the fall.
Z RECEIVER
With redshirt junior Jaden Greathouse not getting reps in live periods this spring an opportunity was opened up for redshirt sophomore Mylan Graham. The Ohio State sophomore spent all spring working as the top player at Z, and he emerged as one of the top playmakers at wide receiver. Graham has loads of potential, and his high volume of reps this spring allowed him to grow his game.
Greathouse will have every chance to earn the spot back, but after missing eight games last season and once again battling a hamstring injury this spring, he'll need to prove he can get and stay healthy. If he does, Greathouse not only will likely step into the starting lineup, he'll once again be one of the team's best players. An ideal world has Greathouse getting back to the form we saw in the 2024 playoffs and Graham also turning his immense potential into production. In that scenario, I could see the trio of Faison, Greathouse and Graham all getting reps at both X and Z as the Irish mix up their combos in order to get reps and targets for all their top pass catchers.
Freshman Bubba Frazier was a standout this spring as well and also took advantage of Greathouse's absence. He's a dynamic playmaker that brings a very different skillset to the position. He'll have a great opportunity to force his way onto the field as both a slot receiver and return man in his rookie season. Classmate Kaydon Finley didn't make the same kind of move this spring that Frazier did, but you could see flashes of the ability that made him a huge pick up for the Irish. I won't be surprised to see Finley use the comfort he gained this spring to make a big push in the fall after a strong summer. I'm interested in seeing freshman Brayden Robinson once he finally returns to health after injuring his knee as a senior. Robinson is another dynamic athlete that has the talent to impact the WR room and the return game.
W RECEIVER
The boundary receiver depth chart has some questions and not much proven production, but it has loads of raw talent and potential.
This is the position where I could see the biggest shake up in the fall. Redshirt sophomore Micah Gilbert was the clear No. 1 all spring, but he has battled to stay healthy in the past and didn't make much of an impact in the Jersey Scrimmage or the Blue-Gold Game. Gilbert will need a strong summer and fall camp if he's going to hang onto the No. 1 role here.
Fellow redshirt sophomore Cam Williams might be the most physically gifted wide receiver on the roster, and this spring he took steps to turning his potential into production. Williams had a lot of flashy moments, including a 53-yard gain in the Blue-Gold Game. If he can make another jump this summer and in fall camp he'll be hard to keep off the field.
If Williams isn't the most physically gifted receiver on the roster it's because that honor could fall to either Graham or fellow Ohio State transfer Quincy Porter. Porter is still battling back from a late season knee injury with the Buckeyes, but when he gets back to full strength he has the combination of size, speed and big time ball skills to quickly work to the top of the depth chart.
Freshman Devin Fitzgerald was a breakout player for the Irish in his first spring. Every time the media was at practice he was a standout, and that continued in both the Jersey Scrimmage and Blue-Gold Game, where he caught a pair of long touchdowns. Fitzgerald can play both outside spots and if he builds on his spring performance the staff will have to figure out a way to get him on the field. Redshirt freshman Jerome Bettis Jr. had a good start to the spring but ended it on the injured list.
The boundary receiver depth chart has some questions and not much proven production, but it has loads of raw talent and potential.
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