Reading the Wide-Receiver Tea Leaves
In watching and reading and listening to what is available, this is how I see things playing out at WR and wanted to see if you all had other ideas or thoughts.
First, my thought is that Kevin Austin, if healthy, will be either #1 or #2. We've seen only little of him but everything I've heard since he's been here is that he's the best and most dynamic/talented guy we have.
Second, Avery Davis is going to play and probably start. He's the one with the most sizable amount of experience and Kelly has spoken of what kind of leader he is for that group and the team.
Third, Lenzy and Keys both will push to be starters. Keys had experience and production last year and Lenzy would have been a starter for sure had he not had hamstring issues. Kelly spoke very highly of their performance so far this spring. He also spoke very highly of them in terms of their commitment in the weight room and that it was on another level from anything they've seen from these two in the past and that they were seeing the results of this on the field.
Fourth, Joe Wilkins Jr. is also a senior and has some experience. He is a little bigger than most of them (Lenzy, Keys and Davis) and so would be a compliment to their talents.
There will be five skill guys that will include at least 1 RB and 1 TE. In addition to Williams, I expect they will try to find ways to get Tyree on the field with him simultaneously and there is other talent (Takacs and Bauman) at TE and so there will be times with more than just 1 TE on the field. This means we will have at most 3 WR's on the field and oftentimes will have less than three.
The group of 5 I mentioned before can probably handle the WR duties. So, the way I see it, those five guys are the lead horses in this race and I see it as very difficult for any of the others to jump the 4 Sr's and 1 GS. The next group, Styles, Colzie, Thomas, Johnson, Watts, and Brunelle, all with 4 years of eligibility left and three with a redshirt opportunity, might be a bit more talented. But I think it will be very hard for any of them to leapfrog Austin, Lenzy, Keys and Davis. It would take a freakish performance from somebody that was just so much better than of them that you simply couldn't keep that guy off the field. Styles seems to me like the guy that might have the ability to do that but I think it is very unlikely.
So it seems to me that, barring injury, it'll be Austin, Lenzy, Keys and Davis carrying the load with Wilkins getting his reps. I am personally fine with this group if they are healthy and at full speed (and are put in situations to get the ball in their hands where they can make plays). Certainly a huge upgrade over last year and tons of speed and dynamic playmakers.
I'd be curious to hear what you guys think.
Replies to: Reading the Wide-Receiver Tea Leaves
If Jordan Johnson isn't on the field much this year...something is terribly wrong. Folks keep...
Asking for 5* talents and then there's one on the roster and he's just waiting around bec oh he's not getting it done in the classroom. If you as coach can't find a way to motivate a 17,18yr old kid who did what it took to get to ND, that's on you.
Also Colzie needs to be on the field as with Micah Jones leaving the program, there's a void left for 6-4 jump ball type left. This waiting for kids to develop crap left with the 90s. Kids are developing on the field at all major programs ND is desiring to upend. BK isn't much for that -- unless -- the kid is a whiz a pick up his offense. He's not much for adjusting to the talent...but forcing the talent to adjust. For 10 wins a year...it works fine.
I think it is a unique situation in that the top guys (Austin, Lenzy, Davis and Keys) are super
fast and dynamic but also have been injured and unproductive. And it is 4 Sr's and 1 GS. After that it drops all the way down to a RS Freshmen Johnson. So it would be a big deal for him to jump over the Sr's and GS.
I think a big problem has been recruiting. In the Jr, Sr, and GS classes, ND recruited a grand total of three 4*, four 3* and a converted QB. The Jr. class had no one and the GS class had two 3* and a QB recruit that was converted to multiple positions and finally WR. It has to be better than that. Hopefully these last two cycles are the trend that will continue.
If healthy (a big if) I think you've identified the guys most likely to play.
That said, I think if Austin and Lenzy were healthy last year, they would have been the starters. As much as people like to blame Kelly for playing the wrong guys, most people forget that ND played most of the year without it's starting WRs. Keys and Wilkins have also had trouble staying healthy throughout their career as well.
^^^^^ The best ability is availability.
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^^^^^ This 😂
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This offense will be better than the record setting group last year
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