Notre Dame Football: What went wrong with Equanimeous St. Brown in 2017?

There were many ups and downs for Notre Dame football in 2017, but perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this past season was the decline of Equanimeous St. Brown.

It was only three years ago that wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown made his college debut for the Irish. St. Brown, one of Notre Dame’s most coveted recruits in 2015, would start his career in exciting fashion, blocking a punt that would be returned for a touchdown in only his seventh game as a member of the Fighting Irish.

The California product would log only one reception for eight yards before a season-ending shoulder injury cut his freshman year short, but it was his contributions in his sophomore year that truly put him on the map.

St. Brown would start in all 12 games in 2016, bringing in 58 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns under quarterback DeShone Kizer. Head coach Brian Kelly had found his new wide receiver, one who would hopefully join Michael Floyd and Golden Tate as the latest Irish receiver to etch his name in Notre Dame history.

However, things took a step back for the junior in 2017. St. Brown would finish the year with 515 yards and four scores on 33 receptions. To put things in perspective, St. Brown’s yards per game average dropped dramatically, plummeting from 80.1 to 39.6 YPG in a matter of one year. Something clearly happened in St. Brown’s game, but what was it?

Much of the blame has shifted from St. Brown to quarterback Brandon Wimbush’s passing woes, and rightfully so. While Notre Dame’s run game greatly improved under Wimbush, the Irish struggled in the air, dropping from 48th in the nation to 103rd in passing yards per game from 2016 to 2017. In turn, St. Brown’s effectiveness diminished significantly.

However, not all the blame can be placed on Wimbush. For example, the recently dismissed Kevin Stepherson saw an uptick in production despite the quarterback change, recording 44.9 yards per game this past season compared to his 38.5 YPG average in 2016. Similarly, tight end Alize Mack put together a season nearly identical to his 2016 campaign in the wake of Wimbush’s emergence.

One of the reasons behind St. Brown’s struggles could be the fact that he was double-teamed on nearly every offensive possession. This wasn’t the case for much of 2016, but St. Brown’s success in his sophomore year likely caught the eyes of opposing defensive coordinators. Regardless, the double-team clearly effected the junior’s production over the course of the 2017 season.

While I personally would’ve loved to see more of St. Brown with Ian Book under center, entering the  NFL draft may turn out to be the right decision. St. Brown has shown the ability to keep up with the best of the best at his level, so a change in scenery along with a reduced role and creative gameplanning have the potential to work out well for him.

Next: Way-too-early college football top 25 rankings for 2018

Only time will tell whether or not St. Brown will be able to put a down year behind him, but the raw talent is there. If he can find the right coach and scheme, St. Brown might turn out to be quite the find for an NFL team. Until then, Notre Dame fans will be left questioning when and where it all went wrong.