Notre Dame’s wide receivers have been a hot topic since the loss to BYU, but one player whose performance may have been overshadowed by the upset is Jaden Greathouse.
The senior receiver caught eight passes for 125 yards in Provo, bringing back memories of his late-season surge in 2024, when he recorded back-to-back 100-yard games.
Receivers coach Mike Brown has watched Greathouse battle a nagging hamstring injury over the last year and he believes the Texas native has finally put it behind him.
“He's getting that confidence back,” Brown said. “He's getting that swagger back and it's really fun. It's really fun to watch. You just keep encouraging him and keeping him grounded and understanding the work that it took to get back to this point and making sure that he continues to put that work in. I know he will, but him having that confidence and quarterback having that confidence in him, obviously it does wonders for us as a team.”
For Greathouse, winning remains the top priority, but producing at a high level under the bright lights is something he can build on.
“Just seeing the fruits of your labor and going out there every single day in practice and working as hard as you can for the team,” Greathouse explained. “But then it sucks to not get the win and to not get that team glory at the end. It's just another chip on your shoulder to come out in practice and work that much harder.”
Entering the BYU game, Greathouse knew an opportunity for a big performance was there. Notre Dame took advantage of its opportunities downfield, and for the most part, Greathouse and quarterback CJ Carr delivered.
“We knew they were going to run a lot of man and we were going to have a lot of one-on-one opportunities,” stated Greathouse. “We went out and attacked them and ended up being able to hit on some of those plays. Just attacking one-on-one matchups, knowing the talent that we have in our receiver room and not being shy to throw the ball.”
The final play, however, didn't go Notre Dame's way. Carr's pass to Greathouse fell incomplete, sealing the Fighting Irish's 28-24 loss.
The two were on the same page, but the play also offered a lesson in finding ways to finish through contact when the stakes are highest.
“We have our checks and we tried to go out there and execute and understanding that this is going to be one of the last plays of the game,” Greathouse stated. “Just always having that mentality of no matter what route I'm running, I'm expecting the ball. It was no different.”
Greathouse believed the Big 12 officials would call pass interference, but the flag never came.
Still, the receiver isn't interested in dwelling on the missed call. Notre Dame has to find ways to execute regardless of how the officials handle a play.
“I definitely thought that they were,” recalled Greathouse. “But you never go into a play expecting there to be a flag or to get bailed out on that type of thing. There's things that I wish I had done, knowing that they're not going to throw a flag on that type of play. Just knowing that I can do whatever I can to make sure that I still end up catching the ball anyways.”
Carr and Greathouse did connect on a significant play earlier in the second half, combining for a 38-yard gain. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound receiver credited Notre Dame's work on the scramble drill during practice for helping create the explosive play.
“A lot of it is feel and having plenty of opportunities as a wide receiver my whole life to be in a scramble drill,” explained Greathouse. “Kind of just having a feel for that thing. There's some rules of a scramble drill that you can kind of teach. A lot of it is finding open space, and if you're open, stay open.”
Greathouse has also seen his individual game develop under Brown's coaching, particularly when it comes to route running.
“I definitely think my routes have been constantly improving and contested catching has always been something that we've been big on,” said Greathouse. “Just trying to stay competitive in the receiver room, using everything that we've got to push each other and steal things from other people. Coach Brown has been a great help in our development and we're going to try to keep developing the rest of the season.”
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