Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 10, 2023 04:00 PM

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: APR 22 Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game — SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - APRIL 22: Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jaden Greathouse #19 runs with the football during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 22, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Listed measurements: 6-foot-1, 213 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: An early-enrolled freshman, Greathouse has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Could Greathouse start as Notre Dame’s slot receiver in Dublin in fewer than seven weeks? That would be a surprise, but mostly because converted running back Chris Tyree would not have made that move if he was not in line to start. And Tyree’s physical skills should afford him a chance in the role. But do not be surprised if Greathouse complements the senior right away.
Recruiting: A consensus four-star recruit and the No. 17 receiver in the class, per rivals.com, Greathouse chose the Irish over finalists Oklahoma, South Carolina and his homestate flagship, Texas.

QUOTES
Tommy Rees was hoping to coach Greathouse for two-plus years, an opportunity that never came when Rees moved on to Alabama this winter.

“I remember watching Jaden Greathouse his sophomore year and being like, ‘Gosh, what an unbelievable player as a young kid, he’d be great to coach,’” Rees said in December when Greathouse signed his National Letter of Intent. “... You watch Greathouse do anything, the competitive nature in him really shows. Great basketball player, we played games on visits and all that, he’s out there competing, sweating.”

On Jaden Greathouse: "Has like a niftyness in and around through zones where he can be slippery and get around guys but has enough power and quickness at the line of scrimmage to beat a guy. His ball skills are out of control."
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) April 19, 2023

WHAT WAS SAID WHEN GREATHOUSE SIGNED IN DECEMBER
Greathouse may have the athletic abilities to play any of the three standard receiver positions. He catches more than his fair share of jump balls, his basketball skills shining there. His strong center of gravity would fit as a slot receiver, able to cut through the front-seven traffic on quick routes. And he is explosive enough to get downfield on the outside. …

“Let’s pull from the thoughts when Greathouse committed, ‘Greathouse’s quick acceleration helps not only in getting downfield but also in getting out of breaks efficiently, complementing his sharp route-running. He may already be a more complete receiver than most such recruits, a backhanded compliment of sorts as it is a result of him not having simple height to rely on or raw sprinter’s speed.’”

Freshman to freshman.#NotreDame’s Kenny Minchey to Jaden Greathouse.

Going to see this a lot in the future ☘️ pic.twitter.com/uMfllAPzIP
— Irish247 (@NotreDame247) March 30, 2023

2023 OUTLOOK
Greathouse snagged 11 catches for 118 yards in the Blue-Gold Game, setting up a summer of hype. One practice does not establish a player’s standing in the fall, but Greathouse shined all spring.

He will not surpass Tyree to start the year, and Tyree’s speed alone will be alluring when combined with an arm like Sam Hartman’s, but Greathouse may practice too well to keep off the field on Saturdays. And Notre Dame will be desperate for that kind of forced issue.

The Irish receivers have been the greatest limiting factor on the program for a number of years now; Greathouse alone will not raise that lowered ceiling. But one additional threat on the field could create coverage problems elsewhere, compounding the positive effect.

Offering a statistical projection for a freshman is rare for an obvious reason, yet this space dared one when Greathouse signed back in December. Let’s stick with that bold thought:

“Two years ago, there was hype around Lorenzo Styles playing as a freshman. In 2022’s summer, that focused on the only receiver signed a year ago, Tobias Merriweather. In their two freshman seasons, they combined for 31 catches for 381 yards and two touchdowns. Greathouse may exceed that on his own in 2023.”

Jaden Greathouse does a nice job of helping his quarterback here, throttling down at the 50, working back to the 48 at the catch. Brown will make this play if Greathouse holds at the 50 or drifts backwards. pic.twitter.com/E5GpBOP6rR
— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) April 25, 2023

DOWN THE ROAD
Very simply, there is nobody so good in the Irish receiving corps right now that they cannot be leapfrogged by one of the four freshmen. If Greathouse is ready to produce, Notre Dame will clear the way for him to do so.

A freshman wall may await him, and if so, then breaking out in 2024 immediately becomes most likely. Every receiver on the roster could return but for former walk-on Matt Salerno. But their pecking order is fluid, to say the least.

My Blue-Gold Game top-line takeaways:
Hartman, yep.
Jayden Thomas, WR1.
Jaden Greathouse, freshman WR1.

And is that some impressive defensive line depth? Pretty much the only question on defense, so that should be really, really encouraging for the Irish this fall.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) April 22, 2023