Notre Dame Football: Grading the Irish’s 2018 recruiting class
Receivers/Tight Ends: A
Losing Equanimeous St. Brown will hurt the Irish, but he didn’t have nearly the kind of impact he would have hoped in the 2017 campaign. Although his junior year was a disappointment, statistics-wise, he did do enough to declare for the NFL draft. Quarterback play did hold him back quite a bit.
Who will come in to replace him?
Four-star wide out Micah Jones from Gurnee, Ill., is one of the early enrollees for the Irish and his frame could make him the perfect replacement for St. Brown. He stands 6-foot-5, possesses impressive athleticism and is ranked the No. 376 recruit in the class.
More from Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Ranking college football’s top 10 quarterbacks after Week 3
- Notre Dame Football Lands Massive Commitment from QB Deuce Knight
- College Football Playoff: Projected top 4 after Week 3
- 3 takeaways from Notre Dame football’s win over Central michigan
- Notre Dame football: 3 bold predictions vs. Central Michigan in Week 3
Kevin Austin, although not an early enrollee, is one of the potential instant-impactors for the Irish in 2018. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 198 pounds and looks the part of a star wide out. He’s ranked the No. 82 player and 14th-best receiver in the class.
The third four-star receiver in the Irish’s 2018 class is Braden Lenzy who is listed as an athlete. He stands 6-foot-0 and weighs in at 175 pounds, making him the ideal size for a speedy slot receiver. The Oregon-native is ranked the No. 150 recruit and fifth-best athlete.
Yes, there’s another four-star receiver prospect and his name is Lawrence Keys III. He’s another slot-type who stands 5-foot-10.5 and weighs just 160 pounds. He’ll need to add some muscle to avoid a redshirt, but he has the talent to be a force. The New Orleans-native is ranked No. 286 in the class.
The final receiver is Joe Wilkins Jr., who is listed as a three-star athlete. He’s the No. 567 overall player in the class and the 45th-best athlete. He stands 6-foot-2 and weighs about 180 pounds.
As for the tight ends, four-star George Takacs is an early enrollee who stands 6-foot-7 and 242 pounds and that type of size could help him become Notre Dame’s next top-tier tight end. He could be a solid replacement for Durham Smythe. He’s listed as the 14th-best tight end in the class. He’ll be joined by three-star Tommy Tremble from Georgia, the 20th-best tight end. Not too shabby.