Why Notre Dame's Newest Addition at Wide Receiver Will Outplay His Ranking

Bubba Frazier is currently a 3-star, who is not even listed as a top 60 wide receiver on most recruiting sites. Although there is room for improvement, as there would be with any player in the country entering their senior season, Frazier's film exhibits a movable chess piece on offense that is sure to get Notre Dame fans excited.

Photograph by Camera Guy Chris (@cameraguychriss)

Recruiting services are a necessary evil in high school and college football. Mostly, they do a good job of at least painting the potential floor and ceiling for certain prospects, but when dealing with projections, there will always be misses on both sides of the spectrum. Plenty of recruits who get tagged with the attention-grabbing label of a 5-star flame out at the next level, never living up to their high school stardom. Just as often, players with lower ratings go on to dominate at Power 4 schools, i.e., Leonard Moore, who quickly rose from a 3-star prospect to one of the best cornerbacks in the nation as a freshman. Incoming C/O 2026 WR Bubba Frazier is probably going to fall in the latter category. I broke down some of his most important traits, and each one will be graded on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 7 (Elite). Let's get into it!

Athletic Ability: Elite (7)

Frazier's track background definitely presents itself on his tape. His change of direction and acceleration are elite. Even when defenders have the appropriate angle pursuing him laterally, Frazier is still able to get the corner and beat them up the sideline for huge yardage. Frazier is very shifty in the open field, which is why he also adds immense value on special teams as a return man. He can also be utilized on jet sweeps, tunnel screens, and as a scatback due to his explosiveness and being able to turn small openings into big gains.

Hands: Good (5)

Frazier does a good job of tracking over his shoulder without having to break stride. He is of a smaller stature, but that does not prevent him from going up over the top of defensive backs and catching through contact. I would not call Frazier a natural hands catcher, as he does tend to let passes get into his body, which has not resulted in many drops to this point, but is a dangerous habit to rely on. He will sometimes have to double catch a pass after a bobble, which seems to be more of a concentration issue than it is a hands problem. I think there is room for improvement in this area, but rule number one of playing receiver is do not drop the ball, and Frazier ultimately does not struggle in that area.

Release/Route Running: Good (5)

One thing I really like about Frazier when it comes to his release is the way he switches up his tempo. There are times that he will accelerate right off the line and quickly eat up any cushion vs off-coverage, but he will also mix in some hesitation releases, especially against man coverage, which keeps defensive backs off balance. He does a good job stemming his routes and getting the corner to lean before making his break. Frazier is very explosive coming out of his break, and there is very little wasted movement. Due to his size and build, I think if lined up out wide, there may be some struggles with press corners that have good technique, but because of how much he will be used in the slot and on motions, this is something that can be schemed around. Some of the depth he runs certain combination routes with needs to be adjusted, but that comes with more coaching. At times, he will get his eyes back to the QB too early, which prevents him from getting to his spot at full speed. The more Frazier develops as a route runner, the more his quickness becomes an even greater deadly attribute.

Yards After Catch: Elite (7)

Being able to catch a five-yard slant and take it through the teeth of the second and third level defenders untouched on the way to the end zone is all you need to know when it comes to Frazier's YAC ability. He gets upfield quickly after every catch, and displays some very good vision and anticipation in open space, knowing how to set up downfield blocks with subtle movements that usually result in game-changing plays. Frazier can elude defenders with ease, and does it from both the receiver position and out of the backfield. Frazier is not going to run through anybody for his broken tackles, but his agility and propensity for breaking defenders down usually have them grabbing at his ankles, which he has no problem running through. He is the epitome of a big play waiting to happen, and it won't be too long into his college career before he is making highlight plays.

As Notre Dame continues to work towards washing away some of the recent unfortunate recruiting breaks at the receiver position, Bubba Frazier is exactly what the doctor ordered. A true Swiss-Army knife, Frazier is going to bring a lot of versatility to South Bend, and even if he does not break the two-deep right away, he will be in contention for kickoff return duties from the minute he steps on campus, where he has All-American upside. You can never have enough playmakers, and Wide Receivers Coach Mike Brown just helped land the ultimate one. He may "only" be a three-star in the eyes of some, but with each big play Frazier makes, that ranking becomes less of an indicator of future results and more of a mistake of past evaluations.

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