After a season interrupted by an inability to meet his expectations in the classroom, DaVaris Daniels returned to Notre Dame, only to have his matriculation delayed by inexplicable red-tape issues. While the delay and missed classes may have some importance to the ultimate player’s ability to compete in the Fall, I wanted to explore the player’s immediate impact, as though he were able to step on the field today. As you will see, Daniels is far-and-away our most experienced wide receiver. If Coach Kelly wants to recapture the magic he enjoyed during his last two years at Cincinnati, he and his quarterback will need Daniels’ proven production to make it happen.
The Fighting Irish Spring 2014 Roster at Wide Receiver looked like this, with Daniels added in:
[table “” not found /]The first thing that jumps out at you is that we have a kid named Buster. After that, it’s the position’s youth. DaVaris is our only senior. Though players like Corey Robinson and CJ Prosise flashed tantalizing tidbits of their promise, there is no other “proven” commodity at the position than DaVaris. His six reception performance against Alabama was one of few bright spots for an over-matched Irish squad.
Now, when you look at WR production in the last two seasons, you see how far ahead of his peers DaVaris really is:
2013
[table “” not found /]
2012
[table “” not found /]
TJ Jones was the statistical leader in 2013 and 2012, with Daniels taking second-place behind him. You see, though, a huge gape between DaVaris and the next-ranked Irish player. If, as has been written previously, this is the season where Kelly conjures the offensive magic from his Cincinnati days, Daniels is going to be a key component of whatever formula is put on the board. The ‘Bama highlights evidence a clear chemistry between Golson and Daniels, though Golson’s targeting him was, at times, reckless in the extreme. Perhaps the return of these two prodigal players will help them as much as it will Irish expectations.
Hating Hurricanes Since 1990.
Bayou Irish is a Jersey boy and Double Domer who fell under New Orleans' spell in 1995. He's been through Katrina and fourteen years in the Coast Guard, so we cut him some slack, mostly in the form of HLS-subsidized sazeracs. But, when he's not face down on the bar and communing with the ghosts of Faulkner and Capote at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, he's our man in SEC-land, doing his best to convince everyone around him that Graduation Success Rate is a better indicator of success than the number of MNC's won in the last five years.
- Finding Flaws in a Diamond: Clemson’s Rushing Offense - December 17, 2018
- Why Nobody Will Cotton to Notre Dame - December 3, 2018
- Irish Finish Regular Season Perfect 12-0 - November 26, 2018
