Listed measurements: 6-foot-2 ⅛, 195 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: An early-enrolled freshman, James has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: James may be Notre Dame’s sixth overall receiver, perhaps seventh, and that should keep him out of the two-deep to start the season and limit his contributing moments into the fall. Most likely, he ends up as the No. 3 field receiver, behind sophomore Tobias Merriweather and either Rico Flores or Jaden Greathouse, both also early-enrolled freshmen.
Recruiting: James chose the Irish from a list of three finalists that also included Stanford and TCU. From an Austin suburb, the No. 28 receiver and No. 157 overall prospect in the class, per rivals.com, was offered by Texas, as well as Georgia, LSU and Ohio State.
An Under Armour All-American and consensus four-star, James was one of three receivers out of Texas signed by Notre Dame and receivers coach Chansi Stuckey in the 2023 cycle, arguably a holdover habit given Stuckey arrived in South Bend last winter from Baylor, particularly in this case as Stuckey began his recruitment of James while still coaching the Bears.
QUOTES
James’s recruiting profile listed him at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, numbers that do not mesh with what the Irish roster lists him at, 6-foot-2 ½ and 195 pounds. The height, well, that happens in recruiting profiles. But the weight, that runs counter to an embellishment. Rather, James quickly began packing on muscle when he arrived on campus in January.
“Braylon has had the most interesting transition because he put on 15 pounds,” Notre Dame receivers coach Chansi Stuckey said in mid-April. “He got here and got 15 pounds super quick, so his body this spring has been getting used to carrying that extra weight.
“He’s the freakiest of them all (of the three early-enrolled freshman receivers). He’s 6-2, runs a 4.4, 38-inch vertical. He’s the biggest, freakiest of them all, but his body has changed so much.”
RELATED READING: Plenty to learn early — and add to his frame — for Braylon James
WHAT WAS SAID WHEN JAMES SIGNED IN DECEMBER
“James’ height may make him an ideal boundary receiver for Notre Dame down the line, in the mold of Chase Claypool and Myles Boykin. That said, he is also comfortable in space. …
“Above all else, James’ commitment as the first receiver in this Irish class was a crucial recruiting moment for a program short on receivers that found itself deep into the cycle without a playmaking pledge. …
“He’ll play. They’ll all play. The usual next note in these blurbs is ‘Long-term depth chart impact,’ but Notre Dame’s receiver depth chart is so shallow, the short-term outlook is the same as the long-term impact. The Irish will need these receivers in 2023. With three of the four enrolling early (the fourth listed is the exception), that should be possible. Spring practice will reveal just how likely, but be surprised if they are not playing early.”
Notre Dame freshman wide receiver Braylon James pic.twitter.com/mMaYdR3p2f
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) March 26, 2023
2023 OUTLOOK
Braylon may have the best measurables of the trio of early-enrolled receivers, but Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores Jr. both appear to be more immediately ready to contribute. Assume that remains true through the preseason.
In that case, James is assuredly behind both of them, Merriweather, and juniors Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie between the boundary receiver and field receiver duties. Hence, third-string.
But third-string at receiver does not preclude playing time. At the least, having James run some routes in four games would give Notre Dame some coachable film to study in the winter. That may or may not yield a catch; the situation will impact that binary more than James’s readiness.
Notre Dame early enrollee Braylon James (@braylon_james14) has released a few songs on Spotify (Brayu) and aspires to start his own label in the future. pic.twitter.com/vOea0kAEBC
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) March 9, 2023
DOWN THE ROAD
But James’s measurables give him an encouraging long-term ceiling. Greathouse may have a future at slot receiver, and Merriweather’s frame best fits field duties. That could set up James for a complementary role to Thomas at boundary receiver in 2024 and, quite possibly, a starting role there in 2025.
That may seem like it is forgetting about Colzie, but no. He simply has only two years of eligibility remaining and thus is unlikely to leapfrog Thomas to create a new hurdle for James.
my boy Braylon James ☘️ pic.twitter.com/om9IZaKVyu
— julioscutz (@julioscutz) January 27, 2023
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 47 Jason Onye, junior defensive tackle on the verge of playing time
No. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka, sophomore defensive end, former linebacker
No. 42 Nolan Ziegler, sophomore linebacker, Irish legacy
No. 41 Donovan Hinish, sophomore defensive tackle following in his brother’s footsteps
No. 40 Joshua Burnham, sophomore linebacker-turned-Vyper end
No. 38 Davis Sherwood, junior fullback/H-back, former walk-on
No. 34 Drayk Bowen, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, baseball infielder
No. 32 Spencer Shrader, South Florida transfer kicker
No. 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah, fifth-year defensive end
No. 29 Christian Gray, early-enrolled freshman cornerback coming off a knee injury
No. 29 Matt Salerno, sixth-year receiver, former walk-on
No. 27 JD Bertrand, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, possible captain
No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win
No. 24 Jack Kiser, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, most efficient defender
No. 24 Jadarian Price, sophomore RB, reportedly recovered from an Achilles injury
No. 23 Jaiden Ausberry, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, four-star recruit
No. 22 Ben Minich, early-enrolled freshman safety, four-star recruit
No. 22 Jeremiyah Love, incoming freshman running back, four-star recruit
No. 21 Adon Shuler, early-enrolled freshman safety coming off shoulder surgery
No. 20 Benjamin Morrison, sophomore cornerback, preseason All-American
No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star
No. 18 Steve Angeli, sophomore quarterback, competing for the backup role
No. 18 Chance Tucker, junior cornerback
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Rico Flores Jr., early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 16 Micah Bell, incoming freshman cornerback, speedy four-star recruit
No. 15 Ryan Barnes, junior cornerback
No. 14 Bryce McFerson, sophomore punter facing a challenge for a second straight year
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
