Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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58 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW WIDE RECEIVERS punt return for a score against Massachusetts and a 93-yard kick re- turn for a touchdown against Stanford, becoming the first Irish return man since Vontez Duff in 2002 to accomplish that feat. Sanders is part of Notre Dame's sophomore class that ranked as the second-best recruiting haul at the position according to Lindy's Sports, and that didn't include elusive walk-on Chris Finke. Sanders is the one player from the class to produce last season, but he is not the sophomore that has created the most buzz; that honor belongs to Equanimeous St. Brown. St. Brown caught just one pass last fall, but he constantly drew praise from the staff. "I think he can play for a lot of major BCS teams right now," Kelly said in November. "I think he's an outstanding football player and one of the great ones in the country moving forward." Despite a shoulder injury that cost him the final six games of his freshman season, St. Brown has continued to be a player Kelly discusses when talking about potential 2016 breakout figures. Notre Dame's staff was high on him when he signed, but after getting him on campus they were surprised at just how talented he was. "He's a surprise for us," Kelly told Bruce Feldman of FOXSports"We expected a good player, there's no question. We did not expect what we got from him; long, rangy, athletic, plays the ball extremely well in the air, tough. "He will be a top-notch player for us. We are really, really excited about EQ and what he's going to be able to do in our offense." The final member of the sophomore class — Miles Boykin — is an- other player looking to crack the rotation. Boykin sat out his freshman season, but during the spring he used his 6-3½, 225-pound frame to make his presence felt, although more work must be done with his game. "Miles is another big, long receiver that has to figure out the same things that EQ has," Denbrock said. "When is it time to bully against this corner? When is it time to out-athlete this guy? When do I use my length, when do I use my speed?" Rounding out the rotation is a trio of freshmen that were recruited to make an immediate push up the depth chart. "Our expectation in the recruiting process is for the wide receiver group to come in and compete to get on the field and be a player for us immediately," Kelly said on National Signing Day. Four-star receivers Javon McKinley and Chase Claypool arrived on campus in June, but classmate Kevin Stepherson already made his presence felt as an early enrollee. "Kevin Stepherson has made some great strides. When he first got here … he was out there making plays, great releases off the line, and he's just been a great player for us," Hunter said of his young team- mate following the Blue-Gold Game. "He's got a lot of development to do as far as knowing the offense and the ins and outs; whenever it starts to click for him, he's going to be a dangerous player for sure." McKinley was ranked by Rivals as the No. 59 overall player in the country, making him the highest-ranked receiver in the Irish class. In fact, it was the highest ranking of any receiver signed during the Kelly era. He will be a difficult player to keep off the field. "We like long receivers that can run and he fit the profile of that kind of dynamic athlete that not only has size but the ability to do something after he has the football in his hands," Denbrock noted. Claypool will be playing his first season of American football this fall after playing in Canada as a prep player. He will have a learning curve, but his talent stands out. "He's such a dynamic athlete for his size," Denbrock said of the 6-4½, 215-pound freshman. "He's a weapon we need to utilize. … He's got a great confidence in his ability to contribute to our football team, and we have confidence he can do that." The story on the 2016 Notre Dame wide receivers is just beginning to be written. Experience is down, but optimism remains high. If history says anything, when the final chapter is written, the wide receivers will once again play a pivotal role in the success of the offense. ✦ PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★ National Title Caliber; ★★★ Playoff Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★½ Looking strictly at talent, the new starters could surpass the overall talent and production of whom they are replacing. Will Fuller was a true standout, finishing his career ranked second all time in school history with 30 receiving touchdowns. The other starters — Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle — were solid role players, but did not offer much impact production while combining for 952 yards and five touchdowns last season. Notre Dame should have a more balanced and explosive group this fall. Senior Torii Hunter Jr. replaces Fuller in the starting lineup, but he will not have to match Fuller stat for stat. Hunter has a different skill set, one that will bring its own unique elements to the Irish offense. The supporting cast around Hunter should be better. Sophomore Equanimeous St. Brown and junior Corey Holmes — the replacements for Brown and Carlisle — are potential down-field threats. St. Brown (63), Holmes (94) and Hunter (95) were all ranked as ESPN100 recruits; Carlisle — a prep running back — was the lone 2015 starter to earn that rating. Experience ★½ While Notre Dame does not want in talent, it enters the season severely lacking in experience and proven production. Hunter was a part of the rotation last season, but was never counted as a go-to pass catcher. St. Brown was a seldom-used backup, and Holmes did not see game action. Beyond Hunter, the most experienced receiver is sophomore CJ Sanders, who caught just one pass last season. Sanders did, however, finish fourth on the team last fall with 822 all-purpose yards thanks to his duties as the team's primary return man. Depth ★★½ A roster loaded with skill and explosiveness counters the lack of game experience. Notre Dame enters the season with just eight scholarship players, but all eight have the ability to produce this fall. Just as important as total bodies is having players with positional flexibility. Only Sanders — who stands 5-8 — is limited to one position. Notre Dame can move all of its pieces around in order to create favorable matchups each week, and that versatil- ity also protects the Irish from injuries depleting one position. Overall Grade ★★½ Recruiting rankings certainly do not equal automatic production, but they can be a useful tool when evaluating the raw talent at a position. Of Notre Dame's eight schol- arship receivers, seven were ranked as top-150 players by at least one recruiting ser- vice and seven were graded out as four-star recruits by at least three different outlets. In the early going, the new wideouts will have to work to get on the same page with the Irish quarterbacks. It might take some time to jell, causing some early sea- son inconsistency, but once they get up to speed there is no reason the Notre Dame receiving unit cannot thrive once it hits the critical October-November stretch that begins Oct. 15 with a home matchup against Stanford and ends with a Nov. 26 road contest against USC. BY THE NUMBERS 2 Total number of career catches by Notre Dame's receivers other than Torii Hunter Jr. The Irish senior enters the season with 35 career receptions. 4 Number of team MVPs the wide receiver unit has produced in Brian Kelly's six seasons: Michael Floyd (2010 and 2011), TJ Jones (2013) and Will Fuller (2015) earned those honors. 2,410 The yards that Notre Dame lost from its 2015 receiving unit. The Irish must also replace 141 receptions and 19 touchdowns. Year Player TD 2006 Rhema McKnight 15 2007 Duval Kamara 4 2008 Golden Tate 10 2009 Golden Tate 15 2010 Michael Floyd 12 Year Player TD 2011 Michael Floyd 9 2012 TJ Jones 4 2013 TJ Jones 9 2014 Will Fuller 15 2015 Will Fuller 14 YEAR-BY-YEAR TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS LEADER