Written by Cade Harper ⏐Writer ⏐Instagram/X: @CadeHarperIT
Photo by The Irish Tribune
You love to see them come in and develop but you hate to watch them leave. Notre Dame's Wide Receiver position has taken a massive blow to begin the transfer portal portion of the "offseason", starting with the firing of former WR coach, Chansi Stuckey. Following Stuckey's departure from campus, five pass catchers for Notre Dame have entered the transfer portal: Chris Tyree, Tobias Merriweather, Braylon James, Rico Flores Jr, and Holden Staes. Now that the Irish are lacking at the Wide Receiver position, who is to blame? Coach Stuckey, playing time, wrongful development, who knows. What we do know is who to watch for when filling these voids for Notre Dame's upcoming 2024 season. Read on to look at the Irish's top targets at the Wide Receiver position in the transfer portal.
Photo by Florida International Athletics
Notre Dame filled their first void on Tuesday, December 5th earlier this week. Former Florida International WR and leading Wide Receiver in yards in all of Conference-USA, Kris Mitchell has committed to The University of Notre Dame. This was a perfect first addition considering the Irish needed a polished Wide Receiver, and Mitchell is just that. Mitchell recorded 64 catches for 1,118 yards with 7 touchdowns last season. His best game was against SEC opponent, Arkansas when the Panther's went on the road and Mitchell had a career game going for 157 yards with a touchdown for the cherry on top. After Week 1, he had at least 73 receiving yards in every game, a very reliable pickup for the Irish as Mitchell will make his case for the Irish's WR1 position on the depth chart. Mitchell was also ranked within the top 10 Wide Receiver's from the transfer portal by multiple college football analysts.
Photo by Clemson Athletics
Another top 10 Wide Receiver in the transfer portal is former Clemson wideout, Beaux Collins. Collins recently took a visit to campus on Wednesday, December 6th - Thursday, December 7th and we were informed he enjoyed it as he snapped photo's in front of Touchdown Jesus. Collins has one final year of eligibility left with 91 catches, 1,290 yards, and 11 touchdowns across his three seasons at Clemson. After adding Mitchell, it seems as if Coach Freeman is looking to add some veterans into the lineup of the young Wide Receiver class coming in 2024 - 2025. Collins would add some serious depth to this lineup and could be a dangerous player if he ends up choosing to play at Notre Dame.
Photo by Washington State Athletics
Washington State's leading receiver in yards and touchdowns last season has fallen into the portal and is also scheduled to visit the campus same days as former Duke Quarterback and Irish target, Riley Leonard and pictured above former Clemson Wide Receiver Beaux Collins. This particular stud would be Josh Kelly. Kelly currently holds offers from 7 other schools. In Kelly's career, he has recorded 148 catches, 2,228 yards, and 12 touchdowns. 923 yards with 8 touchdowns just last season, Kelly also runs a whopping 4.26 40 yard dash time so adding speed to this Wide Receiver position will be killer for the guys this season. I have a good gut feeling moving forward with Kelly.
In Summary :
Freeman is not rebuilding, I firmly believe along with many others he is reloading. These targets at Wide Receiver are no joke and I am more than excited to see what their decision will be. Until then, Coach Freeman will continue scouting and finding what suits best for his team.
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