Starting Makes No Difference For Finke
When the Notre Dame depth chart came out on Tuesday, junior receiver Chris Finke was listed as a starter. It wasn’t a surprise to Notre Dame fans as the 5-foot-10, 181 has gone from walk-on to a rotational player over the last year.
“Everyone wants to play as much as possible,” Finke stated. “I am not an exception to that. It’s a big opportunity and responsibility. I am taking it as it comes and trying to work as hard as I can throughout the week, so Saturday is easy.”
The Ohio native isn’t looking at the chance to be a starter as anything too different. Finke was playing before this week, but he admitted that when he does think back to how his career started, it’s quite the accomplishment.
“When I think back to where I started as a walk-on, it’s a good feeling,” said Finke. “It’s a slow progression, and it doesn’t feel a lot different. It’s just more reps.”
During Saturday’s 20-19 loss to Georgia, Finke caught three passes for 36 yards. Finke made catches tough catches over the middle and showed no fear in doing so.
“I don’t know if it’s my forte,” Finke said of going over the middle. “I run the route I am assigned and try to get open to make a play.
“It’s definitely something I like. I like shallow crossing routes, so I can catch it and run if there is some room outside.”
Finke did also have a drop on a route over the middle, and he has used it as motivation this week in practice.
“It wasn’t something I saw,” Finke said of the route. “It was just a mistake I made. I have to keep the route flatter and make the play. It’s something that’s in the back of my mind in practice this week. I need to be more aggressive to the ball.”
When he goes across the middle, Finke isn’t thinking about the big hits or bigger players hunting for him. He is focused on his job and securing the football.
“I have to work on everything they tell me to do and run my route when it’s assigned,” explained Finke. “I’m not the biggest guy out there, but it’s not something I think about. I don’t think about linebackers in there about to put a hit on me.
“I had a coach in high school that always said ‘You’re going to get hit whether you catch it or not, so you might as well catch it.’”
Finke won’t have family at Boston College for his start, but his inner circle will be well represented to provide support.
“My family can’t make it to the road game this week,” stated Finke. “My sister Alex was going to come, but luckily she got a new job on a Broadway show, so she’s busy with that. I have a former teammate Marquis Dickerson and some family friends coming as well.”
Finke’s success at Notre Dame hasn’t gone unnoticed back home in the Dayton area. The Alter program has produced Malik Zaire, Nick Coleman, Finke and walk-on tight end Ben Suttman in recent years.
“There are definitely a lot of die-hard Buckeye fans back home, but even some of those guy’s root for the Irish on Saturday’s,” said Finke.
“I have this one buddy who was talking some smack in a group chat I’m in, and he hasn’t really liked Notre Dame at all growing up. He mentioned ‘Finke and (Nick) Coleman are there, so I have to cheer for them.’”