Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 14 Braylon James, early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 15, 2023 07:00 AM

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.”

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.