Slot Receiver Will Play A Big Role In Notre Dame's Offense In 2026
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Notre Dame's offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is one of the most experienced play-callers in the country. In the last three years, Denbrock is the only offensive coordinator in the country who has had two Top 5 scoring offenses and two Top 5 yards per play offenses in college football. He's been in the coaching game for 37 years and has been a play caller on and off since the early 90's.
Throughout that time, there's been constants that we've been able to take away from Denbrock-led offenses, one of them being the importance and emphasis on the slot receiver position. In 2021, during his final year with the Cincinnati Bearcats, slot receivers Tre Tucker and Michael Young a former Notre Dame transfer, combined to play 342 snaps in the slot. In those 342 combined snap, Young and Tucker recorded 62 receptions, 774 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
In 2023, Denbrock had one of the most historic offenses in program history for the LSU Tigers. They were No. 1 in the country in points per game (45.5), No. 1 in the country in yards per game (543.5), No. 1 in the country in yards per play (8.4) and No. 2 in the country in passing touchdowns on the season. Obviously, Heisman winning quarterback Jayden Daniels played a big role in that, but so did slot receiver Malik Nabers who led the team and finished as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
That season, Nabers played 241 snaps in the slot which was 53.6% of his pass play snaps. In total, the 6-0, 200-pound slot receiver finished with 89 receptions, 1,568 yards, averaged 17.6 yards per catch and had 14 receiving touchdowns. Nabers finished 2023 with one of the best single-season receiving performances in program history which is saying a lot considering who has come through that program in the last 10 to 15 years.
We've also seen this production in Denbrock's offense in South Bend, just not to the same degree that we saw it at LSU in 2023. During his first season with the Irish, slot receiver Jaden Greathouse became a go-to target for quarterback Riley Leonard in the slot. The Texas native played 94.1% of his pass play snaps in the slot and recorded 42 receptions for 592 yards, averaged 14.1 yards per catch and finished with four touchdowns. Of his 42 receptions, 25 of them went for first downs.
Last season, Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling took advantage of his opportunities in the slot. With Greathouse out due to injury, the Ohio native played 196 snaps in the slot in 12 games. In those snaps, Pauling hauled in 26 receptions for 381 yards. He averaged 14.7 yards per catch and led the team with six receiving touchdowns.
A lot of fans and analysts get wrapped up in the 'who' conversation when talking about the slot receiver position in this offense. There's a lot of viable candidates between Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham who had a great spring, Greathouse who returns from injury and Jordan Faison who was the team's leading receiver last season. In 2023, Faison played 88.9% of his pass play snaps in the slot. The Florida native finished his freshman campaign with 19 receptions, 322 yards, averaged 16.9 yards per catch and hauled in four touchdowns.
All three players are talented options at the slot, but this isn't an argument for who I believe should be the slot receiver. The fact of the matter is that this position plays a major role in Denbrock's offenses. Since 2021, slot receivers have accounted for roughly 3,200 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns and that doesn't include Nabers' 2022 season where he played more snaps as an outside receiver than he did in the slot. Whoever steps up this season in the slot for Notre Dame will have a productive and important year for this outstanding offense.
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