Notre Dame Football: The Importance of the Deep, Growing WR Corps

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Excuse Brian Kelly if he seems cautiously enthused about his wide receivers. Four games into Notre Dame football’s regular season, maybe Kelly simply can’t believe how well his receivers have played.

Asked Tuesday to assess the young group of receivers, Kelly tempered his praise.

“A third of the way, I think that they have made pretty good progress,” he said. “There’s a ways to go, but pretty good progress in the first third.”

Notre Dame entered the 2014 season without T.J. Jones and Troy Niklas, two of its top three pass-catchers from last year’s squad. The third, DaVaris Daniels, hasn’t played a snap this season. That left junior Chris Brown, he of the 17 career receptions, as Notre Dame’s most prolific returning receiver

But with Brown sputtering out of the gate (four catches in the first three games), Notre Dame still hardly missed a beat.

Will Fuller, sophomore
Career catches entering 2014: Six

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Sophomore wide receiver Will Fuller has traded in his No. 15 jersey for the No. 7 previously worn by Jones, and he has played the part, too. The slender speedster has racked up 25 receptions for 344 yards and five touchdowns. He has at least 85 yards or six receptions in each game.

Kelly lit into Fuller after one effort against Syracuse on Saturday, a play in which Fuller came up shy of gaining the first down. The confidence, Kelly says, is still being cultivated.

“He's a young guy that is gaining confidence, and I just think he has a lot of ability that we're really trying to get him to think in those terms, really believe in himself,” Kelly said Sunday. “I believe in him, and I think, at times, I want him to carry himself in that fashion, that you get me the ball, I'm going to make plays.”

Amir Carlisle, senior
Career catches entering 2014: 14

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

In two-plus games, senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle posted 11 receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by his seven-catch, two-touchdown breakout night against Michigan.

Carlisle suffered an MCL injury against Purdue that forced him to miss last week’s win over the Orange, but Kelly said this week Carlisle has progressed “surprisingly very well.”

Carlisle has been nimble making grabs along the sidelines, and the former running back still has the ability to motion into the backfield for quick-hitting handoffs.

Corey Robinson, sophomore
Career catches entering 2014: Nine

With Carlisle out against Syracuse, sophomore receiver Corey Robinson shined on the perimeter, reeling in eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

“A big part of Corey’s game tonight was his ability to be a complete wide receiver,” Kelly said Saturday night after the win.

Robinson’s matchup ability in the red zone is well known, but he showed a different side of his game last week.

“He caught six passes on the perimeter where he had to turn back that big body, catch it with a cast on and then run after the catch through traffic,” Kelly said. “That says a lot about his development as a complete wide receiver, so I think tonight was a big night for him.”

Trending Upward

The Irish receiving corps is in the process of melding those young, high-upside players with various skill sets into one reliable group for quarterback Everett Golson.

“I think it's a group that is gaining confidence along the way,” Kelly said. “They are making some plays, and I think as you make plays, I've always felt that that's how you gain confidence.”

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In addition to Fuller’s downfield ability, Robinson’s red-zone presence and Carlisle’s sudden sure-handedness, Brown, junior C.J. Prosise and sophomore Torii Hunter Jr. have also contributed.

“Now we're starting to develop some real pieces within that wide receiver corps that we can develop because these are all new guys for us,” Kelly said. “They're going to be around for a while. ... So we're starting to develop some consistency with that group.”

Prosise and Fuller, in particular, also drew praise from Kelly this week for their blocking prowess. Notre Dame dinked and dunked around Syracuse’s three-down pressures and exotic looks by utilizing the screen game. Small bit plays for Notre Dame-bred scoring drives.

But Kelly will need the receivers to evolve again Saturday against Stanford. Boasting the nation’s top-ranked defense, Stanford has only surrendered four plays of 20 or more yards this season—second-fewest in the FBS. Whether it’s blocking on the perimeter for Notre Dame’s yet-to-emerge ground attack or streaking downfield themselves, the Irish wide receivers will be needed for big plays.

“We won't win if we don't get big chunk plays,” Kelly said. “We are not going to go five, seven, 10 yards and score enough points to win. No, we'll have to find our chances. We'll have to create opportunities, and we'll have to make some plays down the field, there's no question.”

Four games into the season, Notre Dame’s receivers appear poised to do so.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.