Underrated Players On The Notre Dame Offense Are Key To Success
Notre Dame is certainly not lacking for big names on offense, and players that are garnering a lot of attention for the Irish heading into fall camp. All-American Joe Alt, standout running back Audric Estime, up-and-coming receiver Tobias Merriweather and of course quarterback Sam Hartman are just some of the Irish offensive players that are helping fuel excitement for the offense.
There are other players that don't get as much attention, or generate as much buzz, that are very important to Notre Dame reaching its full potential on offense this fall. Without this group playing well, especially the first three, it's hard to imagine Notre Dame being what it's capable of being this fall.
Jayden Thomas, Wide Receiver
Thomas is Notre Dame's leading returning receiver after making 25 grabs for 361 yards and three scores. Now a junior, Thomas is in position to become a vital cog in the Irish offense.
Thomas has come a long way in a very short period of time. He barely played in 2021, and he struggled out of the gate last season. Thomas hit a low point in the loss to Marshall, but he quickly turned things around. He made impact plays in the win over BYU, and by season's end he was the team's most dependable wide receiver.
The Georgia native doesn't have the high ceiling of teammates like Tobias Merriweather and Deion Colzie, or of the talented freshmen, and he doesn't have the kind of skillset that excites fans. Thomas is the type of player that just goes out and makes play, and he showed last fall that he can be a clutch weapon in third-down situations and in the red zone. His route running by season's end was top notch, and Thomas was starting to get more and more separation.
Now a junior, Thomas will likely move around a lot more this season, and could end up getting even more time outside than he did last season. Whether he plays more outside, inside or he's moved all around, Thomas will be expected to be one of the top weapons in the Irish offense. If Thomas can build on his late 2022 campaign he'll do just that and emerge as a very important piece to a championship puzzle.
Zeke Correll, Center
Correll has had a very interesting career at Notre Dame. He showed promise in two starts at center in 2020, but he struggled while making six starts at guard during the 2021 season. Last spring Correll took advantage of Jarrett Patterson being out to seize hold of the starting center role, which resulted in Patterson moving to guard when he returned.
Correll's 2021 struggles seemed to carry over into last fall, at least in the early portion of the season. By the time Notre Dame got to the North Carolina matchup, Correll was starting to settle in and play better ball. By season's end he was playing the best football of his career.
Alt and junior right tackle Blake Fisher get a lot of the attention for the 2023 line, and the other topic of conversation is often talented sophomore guard Billy Schrauth and the battle that is raging at right guard. Correll has gone from the struggling starter at guard and center, to a veteran that is somewhat taken for granted.
Notre Dame certainly needs Correll to continue improving up the middle. He's taken hold of a leadership role in the offense, and now Correll needs to be more consistent from a production standpoint. He's the anchor of the offense, and with two new guards to each side of him, Correll needs to be the dependable player in the middle that raises the level of the players next to him. If Correll can do that he'll be the rock up the middle Notre Dame needs, and he'll be a key contributor to an Irish line that will be among the nation's best.
Chris Tyree, Wide Receiver
I get why some are down on Tyree. He came to Notre Dame with a high recruiting profile, and his game changing speed was supposed to be a major weapon for the Irish offense. Tyree showed flashes his first two seasons, racking up a 96-yard kick return for a score (vs. Wisconsin, 2021), a 94-yard rushing touchdown (vs. Syracuse, 2020), a 55-yard touchdown catch (vs. Toledo, 2021), a 53-yard touchdown catch (vs. Oklahoma State, 2021), and a 45-yard rushing touchdown (vs. Florida State, 2020). Despite his penchant for big plays, Tyree was rarely used as a focal point in the offense.
We saw early last season what Tyree can do when used the right way. He had over 100 yards of offense in wins over California and North Carolina, but after that the offense began to change. Tyree's dual-threat usage was put on the back burner, and when he was put in the game the run game wasn't built around what he does best.
In the offseason, Notre Dame's staff made the decision to move Tyree to the slot. The purpose being putting him in position to get the ball in space, to add more speed to the perimeter of the defense, and to use Tyree without having to take snaps away from other backs.
Will we finally see Tyree break out? That remains to be seen, but Tyree is certainly being counted on by this staff to be a playmaker on offense. Tyree continues to grow more comfortable in his new role, and if that continues he'll become a very important figure in the pass game, and also as a misdirection weapon on reverses and jet sweeps.
Gi'Bran Payne, Running Back
We all know that Estime enters the season as the lead back, and the hope is that he will emerge as one of the nation's best runners. There is also a lot of excitement about sophomore Jadarian Price and freshman Jeremiyah Love, a pair of explosive backs that add home run skill to the offense.
Gi'Bran Payne, on the other hand, is a young back that doesn't generate that same type of excitement. But don't be surprised if Payne becomes a key part of the Irish running back rotation this season.
Payne had an interesting journey to Notre Dame. He originally signed with Indiana, but when Hoosier running back coach Deland McCullough left for Notre Dame, Payne got out of his NLI and followed McCullough to Notre Dame. Injuries as a junior and senior in high school caused Payne to fly under the radar, but he was a four-star recruit that was on the verge of becoming one of the top backs in the class prior to those injuries set in.
Payne took advantage of Price and Logan Diggs being out most of the spring to show off his skills. The Cincinnati native impressed the Irish staff and showed he's more than capable of producing in the Notre Dame offense. He'll have to battle to keep Price, Love and Penn State transfer Devyn Ford from passing him up, but Payne will do just that, he'll battle. I won't be surprised if he becomes a key part of the running back rotation this season.
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