Notre Dame Parts Ways with WR Coach Chansi Stuckey
Notre Dame will be in the market for a new receivers coach as Chansi Stuckey and the program have parted ways after just two seasons according to multiple sources.
FootballScoop.com was the first to report.
And on Tuesday night, Marcus Freeman issued a statement on his decision.
"First of all, I want to thank Chansi for all of the work he put into our program," said Freeman. "I wish Chansi and his family all the best.
“Over the past few days, we had continued discussions on the overall performance of our wide receiver group and my expectations for the development of that position. I decided it was in the program's best interest to part ways."
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker will coach the receiver room during bowl prep until a replacement is found.
Freeman had plucked Stuckey from Baylor to join the makeover at Notre Dame entering the 2022 season.
In 2022, sophomore Jayden Thomas led the Irish with 25 catches for 361 yards and three scores, while Lorenzo Styles was a close second with 30 receptions for 240 yards and one touchdown.
After a big recruiting push, Stuckey seemed to have transformed the room as he landed Jaden Greathouse, Rico Flores Jr., Braylon James, KK Smith and then walk-on Jordan Faison.
Injuries hit the Irish hard as Deion Colzie and Thomas would miss significant time in 2023 and it would force Notre Dame’s offense into a youth movement at receiver, which also included moving running back Chris Tyree to the position.
Tyree led the Irish with 26 catches for 484 yards and three touchdowns, while Flores finished with 27 catches for 392 yards and one score. Sophomore Tobias Merriweather chipped in 14 catches for 282 yards and two touchdowns, while Greathouse led all receivers with five touchdowns as a freshman.
Notre Dame will now look to hire a receivers coach a day after Freeman stated he hoped he would be able to keep every coach on staff.
“If it's up to me, as I just told the coaching staff at our staff meeting, I have a strong belief in the coaches that we have in this football program and would love all of them to be back,” Freeman said on Monday. “There's obviously places that we have to improve on all three phases, and the coaches understand that and definitely are up for the challenge. But the thing I've learned in this short time as head coach is that consistency is so important.”
The Irish have three receiver commitments in 2024 as Stuckey landed Cam Williams, Logan Saldate and Micah Gilbert. Williams is currently ranked as a composite five-star prospect, which has been a rarity around South Bend.
Williams remains firm in his commitment to Notre Dame despite the news on Tuesday.
“I’m locked still,” Williams stated.
Saldate’s father also echoed similar statements as the four-star receiver is also solid in his commitment to Notre Dame.
Stuckey, a five-year NFL vet, had spent the 2019 season as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Clemson and then moved into an offensive player development role in 2020 before coaching the 2021 season at Baylor.
This story was updated at 6:30 PM (11.28.23)
Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Under Armour Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish TriBase Reign 5 Training Shoes
