Tag: Joe Wilkins Jr.

Notre Dame receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. enters transfer portal

Farewell, Joe.

Notre Dame suddenly finds itself with one less receiver than it had at the start of Monday. [autotag]Joe Wilkins Jr.[/autotag] played seven games for the Irish this season but didn’t register a single statistic. With the program suddenly appearing to head back in the right direction, it became clear to Wilkins that his future opportunities in South Bend would be slim. That’s why he made the announcement to enter the transfer portal:

A couple of serious injuries didn’t help Wilkins’ cause. A torn MCL kept him out for most of 2021, and he fractured his foot this past spring. He basically was fighting an uphill battle from the beginning of the 2022 season.

In four seasons with the Irish, Wilkins played 16 games, made 11 receptions for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns. He also returned two punts during his first year.

We wish Wilkins well in his future football endeavors, wherever those may be.

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Report: Notre Dame in mix for Pac 12 wide receiver

Is he a fit and does Notre Dame have a chance?

One scan of Notre Dame’s depth chart at wide receiver tells the story of a position group in need of bodies.  Veterans [autotag]Avery Davis[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Wilkins, Jr.[/autotag] both continue to recover from injuries while only one freshman, [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] signed with the 2022 recruiting class.

The transfer portal is clearly a place most expect [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and Notre Dame to dip their toes into as they try and fix that issue.  It is there that they’re at least of some interest to a Pac 12 receiver who led his team in receiving yards a season ago.

According to Mike Farrell, Notre Dame could be in the mix for Arizona State receiver Ricky Pearsall.  Pearsall is expected to make visits to both Florida and Auburn the next two weekends and if he doesn’t make a decision after that, Notre Dame and Oregon “could be in the mix”.

Translation: it would appear to be Florida or Auburn‘s game to lose with Pearsall.

However, if he doesn’t love his trip to either of those its worth knowing for Notre Dame fans that Pearsall hauled in a team leading 48 receptions for 540 yards and four touchdowns last season.  Due to the COVID exemption in 2020, Pearsall will have two years of eligibility remaining at whatever program he chooses to attend next.

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Veteran Notre Dame receiver to miss rest of spring with foot injury

What is your overall feeling about Notre Dame’s wide receiver situation five months ahead of the season opener?

The injury bug showed its ugly head again this week at Notre Dame where spring practice continues.  Head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] announced Saturday that grad-student [autotag]Joe Wilkins, Jr.[/autotag] is done for the spring after suffering a foot injury earlier in the week.

Freeman stated that Wilkins is expected to be ready to go for the regular season but the injury is another setback for him as he’s coming off an MCL injury last season that kept him out the final two months of the regular season.  In his five games played last year Wilkins did pull down four receptions for 61 yards and an impressive touchdown reception against Florida State.

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Currently Notre Dame has grad-students [autotag]Braden Lenzy[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Salerno[/autotag], sophomores [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag], [autotag]Lorenzo Styles[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Thomas[/autotag], as well as walk-on [autotag]Conor Ratigan[/autotag] healthy at receiver.  Freshman [autotag]Tobias Merriweather[/autotag] did not enroll early and will arrive at Notre Dame in June.  Grad-student [autotag]Avery Davis[/autotag] remains sidelined as he’s coming off an ACL injury last November.

The Wilkins news is unfortunate but perhaps the little bit of good news that comes with it is that more reps for talented underclassmen are now available this spring.

Related:

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The five plays that loomed large in Notre Dame’s win over Navy

Which plays stood out to you in today’s win over Navy?

It’s not always the scoring plays that make a game and that was once again the case as Notre Dame went on to defeat Navy, 34-6 in South Bend. Here is a look at which plays made a difference today and beyond for the Irish.

Five Stars: The best and worst of Notre Dame’s win against FSU

There was some good and some bad tonight for Notre Dame

Football was finally back and although it started quick for the Irish, looked a bit unsettling, then the Irish took control of the game. Florida State didn’t give up, and continued to stay in the game, but the Irish had enough of a fight in them to battle all the way through overtime and return to South Bend with a 41-38. It’s always a crap shoot for openers, teams have the whole offseason to prepare, but the Irish fixed their issues and eventually gutted out tough victory in a difficult environment.