By Liam Farrell｜Senior Staff Writer｜Twitter @LiamFarrell_IT
Via 247 Sports
The consistent narrative coming into Notre Dame's opening game against Navy was that the Irish had certain question marks preventing them from being a national championship caliber team. The biggest position group that most college football analysts were calling out were the Irish's wide receiving core. As if hearing all the noise and doubts the media has been pressing on them all offseason long, they simply did not disappoint. Jaden Greathouse had a signature breakout campaign, along with an extremely impressive opener for Deion Colzie. Jayden Thomas also cemented himself as WR1 in my opinion, as Tobias Merriweather stalled in his opening campaign. All this and more as we break down the performance of the Notre Dame wide receivers in week 1.
Double Trouble
Via Notre Dame Football
It runs in the name. Kind of. Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse both had memorable openers in the week one thrashing against Navy. Thomas led Notre Dame's receivers in receptions (4) while bringing in 63 yards and a touchdown to close out the first half. Thomas built a great rapport with Hartman, which was seen during the Spring game as well. However, the person who stole the show this past Saturday was none other than freshman wide out Jaden Greathouse. Greathouse led the Irish in receiving yards (68) while bringing in two touchdowns in the process. Greathouse looked mature beyond his years and could be Sam Hartman's new favorite target.
Strength by Committee
Via Notre Dame Football
While looking at the stat sheet for Notre Dame, you can't help but be impressed by the amount of viable options Sam Hartman has in throwing to. Deion Colzie took a big step forward this past game and proved he can win 50/50 jump balls with ease. Speaking of ease, Chris Tyree is silky smooth and most would have no idea he was a converted running back. Tyree ran some great routes, and displayed that he can be elusive in space. While freshman Rico Flores Jr. only caught one pass, it was his tenacious blocking that raised eyebrows amongst the Notre Dame coaching staff. The Notre Dame running back room also displayed that they can catch the ball out of the backfield and be a viable option for Sam Hartman on the check downs.
Lost in the Shuffle
Via Sports Illustrated
One wide receiver who didn't have a stellar game was Tobias Merriweather. While the pre-season hype might have made his performance even less underwhelming, Merriweather has to step up and be a difference maker for this Notre Dame team. After an early drop on Notre Dame's first possession, and a late Sam Hartman deep post that could've been a touchdown, Merriweather was somehow hidden the rest of the game. I wouldn't be surprised if Offensive Coordinator, Gerad Parker, tried to integrate Merriweather early and often next week against Tennessee State. I wouldn't worry about Merriweather's performance as a whole, but need to see him take the next step at being one of the main contributors to this Notre Dame football team.
Wrap-Up
Week 0 brought nothing but excitement for most Notre Dame football fans. After a dominant display on all sides of the ball, I wonder how consistent Notre Dame will be the rest of the year. I wonder what the identity of this team will be as well. Only time will tell, and hopefully the result will be much like last week. As always, Go Irish! Beat Tigers!
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