<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0gA80r_0v0pdj6800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0gA80r_0v0pdj6800" width="1146" height="600" >Notre Dame may boast its deepest pool of pass-catchers in years. Coach Mike Brown even noted on Thursday that there are potentially nine wideouts on the roster he’d feel comfortable putting into a game, but at least a few of those may see limited to no action this fall.<a href="https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/">Notre Dame</a> may boast its deepest pool of pass-catchers in years. Coach <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/mike-brown-46141680/">Mike Brown</a> even noted on Thursday that there are up to nine wideouts on the roster he'd feel comfortable inserting in a game, but at least a few of those may see limited to no action this fall."I think it's hard to play more than six guys," <a href="https://247sports.com/college/brown/">Brown</a> said.His statement doubles down on a sentiment he shared in the spring, indicating he's more willing to trim the rotation than expand it, even if six represents the ideal number."We're having two guys at each position and having a good rotation there — if you have the luxury to do so, right?" Brown said. "If there's only four guys that are deserving, then four guys are the guys are going to get the majority of the reps, but if you can do that, I think as the season goes along, you keep your guys fresher longer."You start to get in the game 10, 11 and so on and so forth, guys still got some juice left and some energy left, as opposed to getting beat down in the first six."Based on Irish Illustrated's fall camp viewings, here's the current six-wideout rotation.Boundary Receivers<ul><li><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/Jayden-Thomas-46049995">Jayden Thomas</a> (Senior)</li><li><a href="https://247sports.com/Player/beaux-collins-46049126/">Beaux Collins</a> (Senior)</li></ul>Field ReceiversSlot Receivers<h2>Breakout Stars?</h2>Overall, Notre Dame's top six receivers produced a respectable per-game average last fall, recording 9.6 receptions for 158.2 yards and 1.3 touchdowns.Still, the room was at its best when it had at least one receiver with 45 catches and 700 yards, which occurred in 2021 (Kevin Austin Jr.), 2020 (<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/javon-mckinley-43000/">Javon McKinley</a>), 2019 (<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/chase-claypool-81793/">Chase Claypool</a>) and 2018 (<a href="https://247sports.com/Player/miles-boykin-31058/">Miles Boykin</a>).Per Game Production for Recent Notre Dame Six-Wideout RotationsSeason Receptions Yards Touchdowns2023 9.6 158.2 1.32022 7.3 100.4 0.72021 10.7 161.2 1.22020 9.5 137.9 1.02019 11.7 174.8 1.92018 13.5 180.0 1.2Additionally, a bona fide star sets the offense up for greater success in the toughest games of the season. Either the star receiver balls out or opposing defenses pay extra attention to him, which frees up other wideouts to perform.In 2023, <a href="https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/">Notre Dame</a> played four games that were decided by fewer than two scores. The Fighting Irish went 1-3 in those contests and averaged 19.5 points per game. None of Notre Dame's wideouts exceed more than 50 receiving yards in any of them. Against <a href="https://247sports.com/college/clemson/">Clemson</a>, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/chris-tyree-85374/">Chris Tyree</a> became the only one to snag more than two catches, but he still hauled in a pedestrian four receptions for 29 yards and lost a fumble.Who on the 2024 roster can be the breakout star Notre Dame needs?The best bet remains Mitchell. He technically ascended last fall at <a href="https://247sports.com/college/florida-international/">FIU</a>, grabbing 64 catches for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns. <div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xRtMAuorcmQ?si=Em2-v2FWcHASoYiR" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>Now, he just needs to prove he can make a similar impact while playing outside Conference USA.Mitchell enrolled at Notre Dame in January, and <a href="https://247sports.com/college/brown/">Brown</a> quickly began teaching the soon-to-be sixth-year senior with 4.3-speed the finer points of playing wide receiver at the Power Four level."Most of his route tree, it was vertical things, right?" Brown said. "It was go (routes), it was posts, it was hitches, that he's making guys miss, and then just going the distance, which are all great things. But we do a lot more where we're asking him to run the slants, run the digs and run double moves and things like that and so on. "I'm not saying they didn't do that there, but I don't think it was anything that they majored in there."Mitchell's expanded route tree has made his game less predictable and more effective, even when facing a few of the nation's top cornerbacks who know him well. "Going against them every day, it's tough on us," Mitchell said. "They know exactly what they're going to get. I feel like it's always tough to go against guys like <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/christian-gray-46099675/">Christian Gray</a>, Ben Morrison and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/jaden-mickey-46094676/">Jaden Mickey</a> because they know what to expect. "They know how to play me. Just knowing that and going into a season with guys who don't go against me, it helps me a lot to know that, Okay, if I can beat these guys more than 50 percent of the time I'll have a higher chance of beating guys I don't go against."Mitchell confirmed that he does, in fact, win more than 50% of the reps against Notre Dame's cornerbacks in practice.<h2>The Leaders</h2><a href="https://247sports.com/college/brown/">Brown</a>, who's relatively new to the program himself, encountered a unique challenge inside his room this offseason.His most experienced players also happen to be graduate transfers.Thus far, the younger guys have willingly gravitated toward the older receivers brought in to play over them."I think it's a credit to the guys in the room and the camaraderie in the room and those guys growing and enjoying being around each other," Brown said. "Then understanding that when Beaux and those guys are coming in, they have a lot of experience. Guys have been playing college football for four and five and, for <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/kris-mitchell-46046725/">Kris Mitchell</a>, this is his sixth year. "So, the young guys wanting that information from them is a big part of it, too, and so it's worked out really well."Still, two wideouts possess the most outspoken voices inside the wide receiver room: Thomas and Collins."Beaux and JT have been the leaders in the group, man," Brown said. "JT has done a great job. JT has been here, played a lot of ball here. He's been a, he's been a really, really vocal leader. I think the guys look up to him. And then Beaux coming in, he has a presence about himself as well that garners respect from the younger guys. "Those two guys have done a really, really good job with the room."<div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7IcnbgeuEaQ?si=XclfMCjtKiFVRzP4" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div><h2>Filling Out the Rotation</h2>Thomas and Collins quickly proved to be Notre Dame's top options in the boundary, but at the start of fall camp, the room was filled with too many slot receivers and not enough guys prepared to play to the field.Thus far, the solution is moving <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/jordan-faison-46136693/">Jordan Faison</a>, who missed most of the spring while leading the <a href="https://247sports.com/college/notre-dame/">Notre Dame</a> lacrosse program to a national championship. According to Pro Football Focus, 80 of Faison's 90 pass snaps occurred in the slot last fall. During fall camp, most of his reps have come to the field, which <a href="https://247sports.com/college/brown/">Brown</a> believes still suits the 5-foot-10, 182-pound wideout game."He's got good speed, he's got good change of pace and he's really, really good after the catch," Brown said.Of course, those traits are also great for the slot, which is precisely what Brown wants, especially for an offense with lots of pre-snap motion.<div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNf92QqmNos?si=a8wf7BFaGavzwlG6" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div>"With the way that I kind of look at it, to be honest, is our two guys, the slot and the field guy, they do a lot of the same jobs," Brown said. "Because we'll switch formations around, where all of a sudden he's in the slot and other guys... "So, I want their abilities to be at least somewhat similar, but he's a unique player, man, with unique ability after the catch and tracks the ball well. He understands how to move people. "I think you know him playing that position and planning his slot, just depending on what we want to do with him, we can gain some advantage there."More than anything, Brown wants to get the best wideout combinations on the field together."It's kind of ever-evolving, man," Brown said. "We're just trying some different combinations of guys, right? You'll see, Faison is a guy who can play a bunch of different positions, and so we'll move him around. He has been predominantly out to the field, probably, throughout the spring, but he's also played some of the slot."<h2>Outside (the Rotation) Receivers</h2>That leaves <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/micah-gilbert-46128048/">Micah Gilbert</a>, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/deion-colzie-46052905/">Deion Colzie</a>, KK Smith, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/logan-saldate-46118180/">Logan Saldate</a> and Cam Williams outside the six-man rotation.Younger players like Williams and Saldate may get work this fall on scout team, but they all need to compete for as many practice reps as possible in practice to be in a position to crack the six-man rotation."Everybody's got to be ready. It's reality, right?" <a href="https://247sports.com/college/brown/">Brown</a> said. "Injuries are 100% in this sport, and whether it's serious (or not)... Everybody's got to be ready, right? You're one snap away; you're two snaps away from being the guy. When your number is called, that standard doesn't change, and so you've got to be ready to roll."</div></body>

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Mike Brown Doubles Down on Notre Dame Football’s Six-Wideout Rotation

Notre Dame may boast its deepest pool of pass-catchers in years. Coach Mike Brown even noted on Thursday that there are potentially nine wideouts on the roster he’d feel comfortable putting into a game, but at least a few of those may see limited to no action this fall.

Mike Brown Doubles Down on Notre Dame Football’s Six-Wideout Rotation

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