Any hope that Notre Dame fans had for Braden Lenzy making a miraculous comeback for the Clemson game next weekend evaporated on Thursday when head coach Brian Kelly announced that Lenzy was out at least 2-4 weeks with a hamstring injury that’s plagued him all season long. Lenzy reinjured the hamstring in garbage time last weekend.
Kelly said that there is a chance for Lenzy to return for Boston College, but a more realistic timeframe for a return is probably North Carolina. That said, Notre Dame fans should brace themselves for the possibility of not seeing Lenzy again in the regular season.
Hamstring injuries are tricky for players who rely on their speed ala Lenzy. We’ve seen it already with Lenzy just how much the injury can linger.
With both Lenzy and Kevin Austin out following injuries last week, Notre Dame elevated freshman Jordan Johnson from the scout team to the varsity this week in practice nd there is a real chance we see him get some game action tomorrow versus Georgia Tech.
It’ll be interesting to see how Notre Dame lines up its receivers tomorrow. The way the staff has handled the position the obvious starting trio is Bennett Skowronek, Javon McKinley, and Avery Davis. That group will be more than fine tomorrow, but will it be good enough for Clemson next weekend?
Lenzy’s speed has been sorely missed this year. Remember how fun it was seeing Lenzy torching the USC defense on a jet sweep and flying past the Navy defense like they were standing still? Notre Dame just doens’t have another receiver with that kind of speed, and while they have gotten by so far, tougher opponent are on the horizon.
