Marcus Freeman didn’t dodge the issue Monday: Notre Dame’s receiver rotation is not working the way the staff expected, and he knows it.
That was one of the stranger takeaways from the Fighting Irish’s loss to BYU. For all the preseason talk about a broader wideout rotation, the game plan looked awfully thin when the Irish needed answers. Freeman made clear he has noticed, too, and he’s not pleased with how things have played out.
“I’ve been outspoken about it with the staff,” Freeman said Monday ahead of Notre Dame’s matchup with unranked Navy (2-5) this weekend. “We have to find ways to get those guys in the game, but it’s also a challenge to them: How do you continue to be more consistent in practice so there’s no hesitation to put you in the game?”
The core of the issue is simple: was the coaching staff unwilling to trust receivers beyond Micah Gilbert, Jordan Faison, and Jaden Greathouse, or were the other options not earning their way onto the field?
Mylan Graham sits right at the center of that conversation. He and Quincy Porter arrived from Ohio State as major portal additions, the kind of pickups meant to lift the position group. Instead, the rotation has become a point of friction.
Notre Dame has shown it can spread the work around when the matchup allows. In the Week 6 blowout of Stanford, 13 different wideouts played at least one offensive snap, with Graham logging 29 snaps.
But that has not held when the competition tightens up. Position coach Mike Brown’s reserves have been used much more sparingly in those spots.
The same pattern showed up at North Carolina on October 3. Two-sport standout and former walk-on Matt Jeffery got nine offensive snaps in Notre Dame’s 37-26 win, and no other non-starter at receiver saw the field.
Freeman said he has confidence in the room, but he also made it plain that getting more players involved has to be a two-way street.
“I have a lot of confidence in the entire wide receivers’ room,” Freeman said later in the press conference. “We have to be more intentional about getting (them) in the game, but it works twofold. They have to continue to be consistent in practice so there’s no hesitation.”
He added that there was a plan to work more receivers into the rotation. But once the moment came to do it, Notre Dame was already down 21-10, and the staff stayed with the starters.
That decision leaves a bigger question hanging over the offense: did leaning so heavily on the first group, and leaving them to handle nearly 80 snaps at altitude, play a part in the way Notre Dame faded late?
CJ Carr and company did move the ball on the final drive, but it came with some grind to it. The lack of separation from BYU’s defensive backs stood out, and that wasn’t only because the Cougars knew Notre Dame had to throw.
Against Navy, the reserves should get chances. The real test is what happens two weeks from now against Miami. If Notre Dame keeps leaning the same way, non-starters would be responsible for 14.5% of the team’s receptions, 15.6% of its receiving yardage, and just 5.9% of its 17 scoring grabs.
That is not enough, and Freeman knows it. If the numbers don’t move, this is the kind of issue the staff will have to revisit after the season, with analysts and recruits both taking a harder look.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Injury Concerns Just Got More Serious With Miami Looming
Notre Dames defensive depth chart is getting thinner at the wrong time, and Marcus Freeman confirmed Thursday that cornerback DJ McKinney will miss the Navy game because of an ankle injury. Safety Brauntae Johnson is still out as well, while several other names remain in question, including tight end Cooper Flanagan, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, defensive lineman Loghan Thomas and cornerback Mark Zackery IV.
The immediate concern is Navy, but the bigger worry around the program is what this looks like with Miami approaching. Notre Dame believes this cluster of injuries will matter even more in that matchup, where available bodies and rotational flexibility tend to be tested far more aggressively, especially on defense. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Still Has An Opening With Elite LB Kaden Henderson
Even with Kaden Henderson already committed to Texas A&M, Notre Dame has not backed off in its pursuit of the five-star linebacker. Henderson confirmed the Irish are still working on him, which keeps a live thread in play for a program that continues to chase top defensive talent late in the cycle.
Henderson, for his part, has not given any indication that he is ready to move off his pledge, saying he still believes Texas A&M is the best fit. Notre Dame is still hoping to make a push before December signing day, but for now the Irish are simply trying to stay in the conversation and see whether the effort can turn into something more. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Fans Finally Get A First Look At Hidalgos New Support
Before Notre Dame tips off the season in earnest, fans will get an exhibition look at a roster that feels a little different around Hannah Hidalgo. The Irish are set to face Truman State with Hidalgo leading the way and two new transfers, Anaya Hardy and Madison St. Rose, giving the front line and the rotation some early-season intrigue.
For a team that already knows what it has in Hidalgo, the bigger question is how quickly those new pieces can settle in and change the way Notre Dame plays. Exhibition games do not answer everything, but they can offer a first glimpse at chemistry, roles and the kind of support the Irish hope will make this group deeper when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]