Perimeter Speed Heading to Notre Dame

By Matt Freeman

December 20, 2023

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Notre Dame has improved its team speed throughout the years, but it’s always been a work in process.

At times, the Irish have had speed on offense and don’t not defense. Other times it’s on defense and not on offense.

Marcus Freeman and his staff are focused on changing that in the short-term in the portal, but also in the long-term through high school recruiting as adding more speed to the receiver room was a priority since taking over the job.

On Wednesday, Notre Dame signed four key pieces for Mike Brown to mold as Cam Williams‍ and Logan Saldate‍ signed their letter of intent, while Kris Mitchell and Beaux Collins were added through the Transfer Portal.

Williams, a composite five-star, was an early commitment for Notre Dame, but also a no-brainer after he torched just about everyone at a loaded Irish Invasion camp in 2022.

“The thing that attracted us to Cam was his speed,” stated Freeman. “We said we needed to address speed and that’s part of Loren Landow and recruiting. We want to continue to enhance our speed on the outside on both sides of the ball.

“That was the thing with Cam. We saw him multiple times run 4.4. We had him in camp. We had him live. He is a tremendous player who is from Chicago. We have to make sure the best players in Chicago who fit this place continue to come to Notre Dame. That was the case with Cam.”

For Collins, Freeman and the staff were well aware of his ability to put pressure vertically on a defense, while also bringing size at 6-foor-3, 210 pounds.

Collins’ proven production also was an easy sell as he brings 91 catches, 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns to South Bend after playing three seasons at Clemson.

“I played against Beaux Collins the last two years and know the talent he is,” explained Freeman. “He’s an extremely talented football player who has shown on film to make plays at a high level in college football and in big games. That was something we were looking for. His length is important, but his productivity is the thing that stuck out. I knew just from going against him what type of player he is.”

Mitchell torched Conference USA in 2023 as he tallied 64 catches for 1,118 yards and seven scores. 14 of those catches were on balls that traveled more than 20 yards downfield, which resulted in 578 yards and four touchdowns.

“With Kris, his speed - we were looking for speed,” Freeman stated. “That’s what stuck out on film. He has a lot of production. His production is through the roof. The speed he truly has and can add to our team is what attracted us to both of those guys.”

Now, some may wonder if Mitchell can do that at the Power Five level, but Freeman and his staff also dug deep into that before hosting him.

In fact, Mitchell recorded six catches for 157 yards and one touchdown at Arkansas in November, which was likely a significant selling point that he could be a difference-maker in South Bend.

“You look at the guys he goes against and some of the bigger games they play versus really good competition,” said Freeman. “You really evaluate the skill set. Maybe not look at who he is going against, but let’s watch him. How can he separate? How does he catch the ball in contested situations?

“It’s easy when you’re wide open to go catch the ball. I’m looking at how he makes contested catches. Is he running by guys or is he struggling to get by guys? Those were all the things you look at when you’re looking at a guy who maybe isn’t in the Power Five level.”