Phil Steele names Notre Dame a Top 10 WR Unit - Thoughts?
Team NewsTwo factors I would bet Phil is banking on here:
1.He thinks Riley is going to be really good and make our WR’s look better.
2.He’s overcorrecting a bit on the portal after doing so so with it in the past, and our WR room has some portal additions that are good on paper.
Looking at some of the teams ahead of us I don’t think it’s too far fetched.
I'm definitely not saying it's impossible. I think both here & Irish Illustrated I am generally a very optimistic/positive but not super unrealistic poster. Our WR room has the potential to be in the top 10, but last years WR had a lot more potential than it showcased as well. Unfortunately, all the things that make it more likely to improve this year (new OC, new QB, new transfers) all need to mesh quickly to make it happen
Toss in new WR coach Mike Brown who is a bit more of a developer of talent than we’ve had recently at ND and there is lots to be positive about this year
There is some transfer talent coming in but I tend to agree with you. We gotta see it. If this was top 10 most IMPROVED WR units, we’d be top 10 for sure
I like the crack pipe assumption. I have to see it.
Jayden Harrison, Beaux Collins, and Kris Mitchell are established veteran players with multiple years of experience. Mitchell is a stud and coming off an 1000 yard season. It’s been seen on a field. Throw is a steady Jayden Thomas (when healthy) and what Greathouse and Faison showed as freshman and it’s a solid room. Not sure what other power 5 programs can claim multiple players with 3+ years starting experience.
The WR unit is in a show me phase. I refuse to fall for hype until we get on field production
If you add Mitchell and Collin’s, to Greathouse, Faison, and Thomas. Not to mention Williams and Gilbert. KK Smith is said to be the fastest player on the team and has turned heads ever since getting healthy during bowl prep. The position group easily goes 8 deep.
I hear you and I hope so, but they gotta show us. Last year it was Merriweather supposed to be the future of the position. Colzie has been hyped every offseason since covid. But then tough games come and we focus solely on the tight end position in the passing game. I hope Denbrock is the man to change that
I also feel like the WR position was our glaring weakness - in addition to some subpar qb play - so it would be a massive failure for MF to not address this season. I would expect Denbrocks presence to help. I am also in the wait and see mindset but I am hopeful. 60 days!!!!
I’m tired of the hype of the fastest receiver. How many seasons have there been when the fastest guy out there could actually catch anything? We always hear about this guy being so fast and a huge deep threat and he goes 3 for 11 and can’t get open downfield.
You aren’t wrong, and I get it. But with KK Smith, we are talking about someone projecting to be ND’s 8th or 9th WR. Last year they didn’t even have that many. Which means this group has a much better chance to be difference making group, versus the liability that cost ND games last year.
Definitely have the potential for top 10 just in terms of sheer bodies they can put out there with the blend of experienced WRs from the portal, youth production from underclassmen, and a couple nice recruits. Don't know who said KK Smith was the fastest player, but after seeing him run as a Prep, I'm certain he's nowhere near Love or the transfer Harrison as far as home-run speed but he was shifty and quick. Unless they feel he made an improvement even bigger than Fuller did in 2 years as far as short burst speed (40 yard dash), he's way behind a few guys on the roster once past that distance.
I think it was mentioned by Goolsby on his podcast last week. They were high on both Smith but also Beaux Collins.
As for the top ten rankings…..most teams have questions outside of their top rotation. Somebody had to be ranked ten, and based on the portal additions and new recruits, it isn’t outlandish that the Irish snuck in this particular ranking. Steele loves recruit rankings.
With the editions they brought in there is potential for this to be true. If Riley Leonard stays healthy I could see this being true towards the end of the year.
I’ll gladly eat crow at the end of the season but until then…uh, no.
It's possible, there are certainly enough bodies in the room that if a couple of them step up we'll be fine or even really good at receiver. Personally I'd say there are still too many unknowns to consider them one of the best 10 WR units in college football.
It's been so long since we've had a half decent WR group it's hard for me to believe. It's better than most people think but not sure it's top 10
I simply have PTSD from the last two offseasons. So much “well if this guy improves then…” and then it basically never happened.
I’m hearing good things about this group but I won’t believe it until they start making plays in College Station.
That's extremely wishful thinking
Would love it to be true, but Phil Steele is notoriously uninformed.
Related - can I have his job? I can be ignorant about CFB for a living.
Yeah look how high USC is despite what they lost. This guy is way off.
lol
Yes but what does Phil Gillis think about it?
Never thought I’d see the day
Making up for dissing on Benjamin Morrison
We will be improved for sure but #10 is asinine
I'm out of the loop on our roster. Who will our receivers be this year?
Jayden Thomas, Kris Mitchell, Jaden Greathouse, Beaux Collins/Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert/Cam Williams, and Jayden Harrison is probably the pecking order of the 2 deep if I had a guess
Ohio state Vs Oregon is going to be an all-timer.
I hope he’s right. I haven’t seen anything that would have me put the WR’s top 10, but hopefully I’m wrong.
Us being over Miami is just not true in my opinion. Hoping I’m wrong and the new batch proves it.
On paper that's probably accurate
Lol that’s absolutely insane. Maybe top 50
Most Power 5 programs would kill to have a WR room with the level that ND recruits at. What you're suggesting is that they're "maybe better than Nebraska or Virginia Tech" which is a huge undersell of our talent. The ceiling (top 10) still depends on hitting the jackpot with stars like Fuller or Claypool, but the floor is mainly determined by the coaching. ND doesn't get below 50th unless the coaching is an absolute train wreck and we have multiple injuries to starters.
Idk what you’re talking about because last season they had one of the worst WR rooms in all of college football.
That's absolutely not true, what are you smoking? There are 134 FBS schools and most of them are way way beneath our level. Georgia State? Western Kentucky? Northern Illinois? When's the last time you even thought about most G5 programs?
Anyway. You're also letting playcalling and injuries cloud your assessment. We were completely fucked over by injuries to our starters, which does hurt the production but not the underlying skill level (going forward), for what it's worth. Chansi absolutely didn't help the room, but neither did Parker. His coordination and ability to put the WRs in a position to succeed literally has nothing to do with the actual quality of those players.
You’re an absolute clown. I’m one of the biggest ND fans to ever walk the earth but I’m also a realist. Just stop with your terrible assessments and comparing ND to Georgia St? WKU? Northern Illinois. What a joke. Last year a true freshman lead the team in touchdowns(5). A true freshman lead the team in receptions(27) and a converted RB Chris Tyree lead the lead in yards lmao what an absolute disgrace.
A lacrosse champion was probably our best WR the 2nd half of the season. That’s embarrassing. That’s why we can’t get Meadows or Hines to commit this cycle. I wouldn’t either. We should be comparing ourselves to UGA, Oregon, OSU, USC, Bama etc but you’re over here talking about how we’re better than Western Kentucky and Northern Illinois. Listen to yourself lmao 🤣
Not 1 single WR even broke 500 yards. Easily one of the worst WR rooms in ND history and the last 30 years. One of the worst WR rooms in ALL OF CFB hands down not even close.
It could be true and I want it to be true but until we see it on the field Phil Steele's only source he can cite is a crack pipe