Braden Lenzy became the 11th Notre Dame commit of the 2018 cycle when he announced for the Irish today. Lenzy and his parents madeĀ theirĀ first visit to Notre Dame on the first junior day of the cycle; the visit made a big impression, as it moved the Irish from the edge of his radar to right smack in the middle. Lenzy becomes the fourth of the five uncommitted prospects from that weekend to pledge for Notre Dame, joining CB Kalon Gervin, WR Micah Jones, and OT Cole Mabry. LB Dallas Gant is the fifth guy – we’ll see if he moves out of the on deck circle at some point, but regardless, just closing four out of five is some impressive work.
Although Lenzy is rankedĀ either as an athlete or cornerback by all the services, Notre Dame is recruiting him strictly for offense and believes he’s the kind of receiver who could take the top off a defense. As he noted in his commitment tweet, he’ll also run track at the next level, which isn’t remotely surprising given his track times so far. As a sophomore, he won the Oregon 6A state title in the 400m with a 48.38Ā and placed fourth in the 200m with a 21.88; he also logged a 10.86 100m last springĀ andĀ a 4.47 40 at a Nike event. As a sophomore. TheĀ Irish staff is probably not far off-base in their speed assessment, and by “not far off-base” I mean “dead on.” Speaking of the Swoosh… Lenzy’s father is a senior marketing guy with Nike. He’s from Ohio, though, and both parents are Purdue alums, so they have more roots in the Midwest than you might think. His father is very much in Notre Dame’s corner here and Lenzy has already visited Oregon, which should ease some concern about whether the Ducks will be able to flip him later in the process.
Recruiting Service Rankings
247 Sports — 4Ā star (91 rating), #183 overall, #13 ATH, #5Ā inĀ OR
Rivals — 4Ā star (5.8 rating), Ā #238 overall, #21 ATH, #3 in OR
Scout — 4Ā star, #134Ā overall,Ā #13 CB, #3 in OR
ESPN —Ā Not yet evaluated (What’s up with these guys?)
247 Composite — 4Ā star (.9261), #178 overall, #10 ATH, #3 in OR
Cohort
LenzyĀ also holds offers fromĀ Cal, Colorado, Michigan State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, and USC, among others.
Highlights
The beginning of the kick return at the 0:22 mark is pure sorcery – and once he got the crease he was looking for, he went from zero to 60 in about 0.3 seconds. That’s a theme in this video, as time and again Lenzy shows explosiveness in and out of cuts and excellent acceleration. I also like that he shows more patience than you might expect from a high school kid with his speed; on offense and on kick returns, he does a good job of setting up blocks and waiting for things to open up in front of him. He’s decisive as well, picking a hole without hesitation and turning on the jets when he does. I also like the physicality he shows on defense, where he’s a fearless tackler and tenacious in press coverage, and how it often translates to how he finishes plays on offense too. If I’m being picky, and I meanĀ really picky, he could work on attacking the ball in the air more; I thought there were a couple of plays on here where he waited on the ball a bit. He also could stand to add a few pounds for college ball, but given that he’s just a junior now and he’s likely going to have a role in the offense similar to the identically-sized Will Fuller*, I’m not too worried about that.
Something totally unrelated to Lenzy’s abilities that struck me too… I saw them run the same play probably a dozen times on this video. I don’t know what to call it; it looks sort of like a wheel route rotated 90 degrees toward the middle of the field, or a drag at 10-15 yards depth instead of 3-5 yards. It was like clockwork, though – run a couple of kids off the line of scrimmage, let Lenzy leak in behind them, hit him wide open and get him in space against the far-side corner. Here’s a tip, Oregon high school teams: Prepare for this play next season.
* Note that I’mĀ notĀ saying he’s the next Will Fuller – it’s tempting to make the comparison (Fuller had a similar build, finished the 2013 cycle as the #277 overall player in the 247 Composite and had recorded a 4.52 40 at that time), but it’s completely unfair to the kid. He has that kind of potential but it’s a long way off right now, so let’s table the Fuller comparisons for Braden Lenzy until he puts up a 70-catch season.
Impact
In reviewing Micah Jones’s commitment, we said that he might have to wait a bit before making an appearance in the depth chart. Braden Lenzy, on the other hand, possesses an unteachable skill that might get him on the field sooner – his speed is the key to potential early playing time. Brian Kelly said recruiting game-breaking speed on offense would be a priority for the staff in the 2018 class, and they’veĀ taken a big step toward that goal with Lenzy’s commitment. I think Lenzy could appear on kick returns immediately, and could potentially work his way onto the field on offense as well if he adjusts quickly to the Notre Dame offense. I would expect him to get at least a cup of coffee in 2018 to get him acclimated and then become a significant contributor in 2019.
Welcome to the Irish family, Braden!
Would you say he has “explosiveness in and out of cuts?” Or “esplosiva-ness?”
Haha, well, esplosivaness is a heavy mantle to bear. But I would indeed be tempted to say that… His cuts and acceleration are just nuts. This is the kind of kid who could turn one mistake into six points, from anywhere on the field.
If nothing else, we can send him on the Golden Tate/Chris Brown Freshman Memorial Go Route a few times.
What is Kansas doing to pull in the highly rated recruits out of Louisiana? One guy is a .95 and another is a .92. The rest are 3 stars.
Maybe evidence is proving that recruiting is just easier with a losing record..?
That was funny.
Let me preface this with a statement that I find this recruiting run remarkable given where the program seemed to be 3 months ago…
With that said, are we in on any top-20, clear 5-star recruits? I see that Jurkovec is a borderline 5-star and the Composite #2 dual-threat QB in the class, so, like, sweet, but are there any Manti/Jaylon/Floyd types that we’re in on?
Amon-Ra St Brown is a clear 5* with high interest in ND and P J Mustipher is a very high 4* who is predicted to be a 5* has interest in ND.
Allen is too already an elite 4 star. It’s right to be concerned to get the elite players – we’ve often gotten these really really good ones, but have been just shy of getting enough elite guys that would really put us over the top. Allen and Jurkovec are those guys so far and as Bill said Musipher and AR St. Brown are those guys too. There are another handful that we have a legit shot at that are in the same top 50-60 group. Also it helps that some of the higher rated – though not quite “elite” – are at positions we don’t normally get like at CB with Gervin.
Derrik Allen is one of those “on the cusp” players, as well. This is the best recruiting stretch at ND since probably Lou’s best days. Even the classes with Manti, Floyd, et al didn’t have this kind of overall depth of high and mid four stars, and the class is only half full.
Leave it to ND fans to complain about the best class at ND so far since….(looks at poster name)….nevermind. Everybody who can be happy is happy. Move along. Nothing to see here.
Just busting your chops a bit. Somebody has to carry the water for the half-empty crowd. Keep at it. š
Somebody, I believe Rivals, had an article a few days ago that discussed some of the fastest starts to ND recruiting in recent history.
This year is by far ND’s fastest start to recruiting since the recruiting sites started up. We reached 10 commitments something like 2 months faster than we ever have before (and obviously now we’ve just added an 11th).
And keep in mind, we expect to have another Junior Day and the Blue-Gold Game in the next couple of months. So it’s not completely out of the question that we’re around 15 by the end of April.
We aren’t just off to a big and fast start, the quality is incredible. For some context, we have 8 four stars in both the composite and rivals. Here are the past 6 recruiting classes composite/rivals four stars:
2015: 8/8
2017: 10/8
2016: 10/13
2015: 14/13
2014: 14/11
2013: 20/18
2012: 9/8
Outside of our ridiculous (and probably anomalous) 2013 class, we are set to blow away every other class (if things continue). Another great note, everyone outside of Mabry has been a 4 star on at least one service.
For the record, also, Clemson had two 247 composite top 20 recruits on their roster this season. One was true freshman DT Dexter Lawrence, who was phenomenal as a freshman but if you took him away and put the likes of Scott Pagano in as a starter they probably still win the title.
The other was #19 overall from 2015 Deon Cain, who had a very good year finishing sixth in receptions, third in yards and second in TDs for Clemson. That’s a very good WR, but had guys ranked behind him as recruits deliver just a little bit more.
By the way, Washington had zero top 20 recruits. Yes, we know what Alabama had.
Ohio State? They had one. Yes, Ohio St. had one 247 composite top 20 recruit on the roster this past season and that was freshman Nick Bosa. They were talented because they were loaded with kids ranked right around where ND’s current crop is and they coach the hell out of them.
Jeez people did not like this one. I was just asking! Constructive replies though – thanks all.
And, to be clear, I am quite happy with this recruiting class – I actually find the success so far shocking. Amazing what Brian Polian + a DC who cares a little about recruiting can do.
I don’t think your point about Elko as a recruiter can be overstated. It think it’s clear he’s already a huge improvement there with regard to recruiting alone, not to mention what we expect on the field. And if that product looks better, it will only empower his recruiting ability.
If you’re on Twitter, check out some of Mike Elko’s recent activity on there. BVG was never anywhere close to that active on social media.
I honestly have no idea why you got those downvotes. I’m really pumped about the start of this class and I still think you asked a fair question. Polian + Elko are definitely big. But I wouldn’t underestimate Alexander and Lea, as well.
I have never downvoted. I don’t see the point. I’m happy to argue like a MFer, though.
I see what someone did there. š
Haha, people can be sensitive… Echoing the above, we’re in on ASB (#18 overall on the Composite), although Balis needs to make a big impression with Dad when they visit, Jurkovec is essentially a five star (#28, two spots behind the last five star), and Derrik Allen is a high four-star (#52). We’re sort of involved around the edges on WDE Micah Parsons (#4, PSU commit who’s looking around) and OT Jackson Carman (#7, considered a heavy OSU lean but has visited ND a bunch of times).
And then we’re in on a ton of top 100 kids to varying degrees. Of course we’re destined to land a minority of those guys, as anyone would be, but I think we’re at least legitimately in it right now for the following guys:
APB TJ Pledger (#29)
WR Brian Hightower (#34)
WR Kamryn Babb (#47)
CB Houston Griffith (#48)
DT PJ Mustipher (#63)
WR Joshua Moore (#100)
There are others that have been interested in us at some level, but I wouldn’t put them in the “legitimately in it” list until they show more serious interest. There are also a bunch more in the next level, top 100-200, that we’re in on. *IF* we put up a big season, I think we could finally close on some of that top-level talent.
Thanks!
Do you think we will not recruit other ‘speed guys’ as hard now, such as Moore or the three star Schwartz who claims like a 4.2 40? And with our newfound emphasis on sports science could we splice Micah Jones DNA with Lenzy’s to make the ideal recruit?
No, I think they’ll keep recruiting speed pretty hard. Schwartz ran a 10.25 100m last year with a 2.4 m/s tailwind and just ran a 10.54 in a 2.1 m/s headwind in the season opener this year. He also won the Florida 2A title last year in the 100, 200, 4×100, and 4×400.
Whatever he claims as a 40 is probably pretty close to true. USATF could be a threat to this kid finishing four seasons of football.
I almost called you guys out yesterday for being super lazy and not writing up a commitment post in like 5 days. That would have been embarrassing.
Brendan actually wrote this one up last week. Just had to wait for the official word to publish it.
Finally, proof that Brendan is a Time Lord.
[closes TARDIS doors] What? Were you guys looking for me?
so what other one’s have you written up that you are just waiting for the official word? Who’s next?
If he accelerates to 60 mph in 0.3 seconds, he would be at 29.3 yd/sec in 0.3 seconds. Even if we assume he didn’t accelerate any further, and didn’t cover the 8.8 yards in those 0.3 seconds, he should be running the 40 yard dash in about 1.36. I dunno, maybe he just has bad starts off the line, or just waits about 3 seconds before blazing to the finish line to give opponents a chance…
He must really be sitting around a while to run a 400m race in 48+ seconds.
I was told there would be no math.
I’ll bet you’ve done the math on why Santa and his reindeer would be incinerated, too. @18SAD subscription is in jeopardy.@
Nope. Heat shields. Built by sexy little elves. After Dark subscription reinstated.
1.36 forty, but only a 4 star. Do not want.
Wanted to come here this morning and make a tongue in cheek explosiva comment, but idocd beat me to it. I guess he more explosiva as a poster.:)
Great write-up Brendan. Things I like from his film (you know, besides pure speed):
On KORs, he attacks creases moving forward at speed, rather than slowing up and dancing through them. That split second can be the difference between getting caught up in traffic against faster college players and breaking a long return.
Likewise, I like that when he catches those crossing routes, he secures the ball quickly and gets turned upfield without breaking stride. I can see Brendan’s point on the size, though. He’ll take some hits on that play in college so he’ll need the natural armor.
Still, the highlights included some plays on defense where he came up and made some nice hits. He also hits traffic when carrying the ball without fear of contact. That bodes well for how he’ll do physically. He won’t be a natural tackle-breaker, but that’s the kind of aggression that lets speed kids approach traffic without slowing or dancing too much.
There is definitely a trend at WR this year, Jones aside, with speed. Alexander and Long have a type.
With the success Polian has had out west, do people expect the trends of where we get players to shift? We seem to be extremely FL heavy in the past few classes, and barely existent in CA. Wonder if people think that will shift significantly?
I think we should start to snag a few more from out west, definitely.
With Elko’s ties to North Carolina, I think it’s possible we start landing a few more from that area as well.
But as far as significantly changing our talent pipelines, I’m not sure. We’ve done well in Florida these past couple years thanks in large part to Denson, and he’s still here.
When you have an ace recruiter like Polian, does that change the process at all? I know relationships are important but let’s say a position coach is visiting a top target close to signing day. Do you bring Polian along and let him freelance like that?
I don’t know. Couldn’t hurt, I guess, but I think most of Polian’s success comes from the fact that he’s really good at building relationships with these kids. That connection might not be so easy to build in a short period, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa notwithstanding.
Great write up Brendan. This guy is just scary fast. I’m kind of shocked that he isn’t rated even higher across the board. He just looks so much faster than anyone else on the field.
One of the analysts, I think maybe Prister, said yesterday that he thinks Lenzy would be a five-star if he was a little bit bigger. Nobody questions his athleticism (except maybe ESPN, but their recruiting coverage isn’t worth a plugged nickel) or physicality, but he definitely gets dinged for being skinny.
I’m a little biased towards track guys, being a former (slow) track guy myself, but I keep coming back to winning the state 400 title as a sophomore. I would bet he has a shot at winning the 200 title before he’s done, too. Not sure about the 100, his times there are great for football but not quite top level for track. Regardless, the kid can fly.
In other news. Ole Miss is self imposing a bowl ban for this year. The NCAA is also investigating them for lack of institutional control. The only surprise about this for me is how long it took the NCAA to start this investigation.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2694465-ole-miss-announces-1-year-self-inflicted-postseason-ban-after-ncaa-investigation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=college-football
Look out! Russ has just now figured out how to paste articles into his comments. I had no idea it was that easy.
Not looking good for them. Several of the violations are technically serious but seemingly minor, like a booster providing a few meals for a recruit at his restaurant. But a couple really jump off the page, like an assistant coach arranging for a recruit (who they didn’t get) to receive $13K in cash. Whoops. And the cherry on the sundae, as you note, is that the final charge is a lack of institutional control by Freeze and Ole Miss. Ole Miss fans are, predictably, describing it as a witch hunt, while literally every single other person in the college football world is saying, “Well, duh.”
Now, I could see why they might be annoyed that they’re getting the hammer for this when they lost out to Auburn in the six-figure Cam Newton bidding war, and Auburn got nothing. But, hey, dem’s the breaks.
Lol. My guy swore to me that Lenzy wanted to pull the trigger during Junior Day. I heard Bryan Driskell over on Blue and Gold say the exact same thing during their latest podcast. I won’t doubt him again.
I love this kid. I like his versatility. He more than likely sticks at WR but he can just as easily flip to CB if need be. As crazy as this sounds he could end up being faster than Fuller in a year or two. I can’t remember Notre Dame having this many verbals this early in the process.
With the small class we are expecting this cycle. It’s time to start getting picky. To go big game hunting if you will especially on the defensive side of the ball. If Notre Dame takes care of business this season. There is no reason to think we can’t finish in the top 5. This could be the start of something special recruiting wise but ONLY if we handle our business and start consistently putting a really good product on the field.
Agreed on all points. I like Lenzy better as a WR than a CB – I think he looks more natural there and, in any case, when a kid is that dangerous with the ball it’s hard to put him on defense, even if the conventional wisdom says that’s where your best athletes go. But with some work on his technique I think he could be a really good CB too.
We’re going to have to pull at least one five-star to finish in the top five, and more likely two. Say, Amon-Ra St. Brown and… someone else. And we’ll have to keep hauling in quality four stars, like Houston Griffith and Dax Hollifield. With the way the new staff is recruiting, I think we’ll be almost guaranteed a top five class with a ten-win season. So all that’s left to do is, you know, win some games.