Claypool Adjusting To Larger Role Just Fine

Notre Dame receiver Chase Claypool arrived to campus last June with eyes on him as he put up mind-blowing numbers in high school. The Irish don’t make the trip to Canada much in recruiting, and it showed how much the staff coveted the 6-foot-4, 228-pounder. 

Claypool got spot time as a freshman on offense and paved a niche on special teams a year ago. This fall, the former Abbotsford star is becoming a bigger and bigger piece of the offense each week. 

“It’s good to be out there with my teammates and help them to win,” Claypool stated. “Last year was more of a special teams role. Every chance I get, I obviously want to make our team better and give us a chance to win. This year it’s on offense more than last year.” 

Claypool’s athleticism allows Notre Dame’s offensive staff to move him around and cause matchup problems all over the field. A week ago, Claypool pulled down a 27-yard catch against Michigan State and gave the Irish a jolt of momentum.

“They move us around, and we have different plays for different personnel,” explained Claypool. “We want to make the offense as diverse as possible.” 

The growth of Claypool’s game isn’t something that happened overnight, but over the course of time. Claypool is seeing more growth this season as the Irish are simply practicing harder. 

“We say 'practice has to be harder than the game' and it definitely is,” said Claypool. “When you get to the games, it seems like it’s easier. It helps us a lot. We always work on starting fast, making big plays and scoring on the first drive. 

“When a team defers the ball, we want to make sure we score.” 

The relationship between a receiver and his quarterback is also important. Claypool and quarterback Brandon Wimbush have worked on developing chemistry but also making sure they develop a relationship away from the field. 

“Brandon and I have grown a lot closer this year,” stated Claypool. “Every time he throws a good ball, I let him know it was a good ball. If I ever drop one of those passes, I let him know it’s on me and I’ll get the next one. 

“We’re definitely building a relationship on practice and off the field.” 

The relationships don’t stop with Wimbush and his receivers as the entire team are much closer than a year ago. That has allowed for a close-knit team, but also a team that takes every detail more seriously.

“This team is a lot different than last year,” Claypool stated. “We haven’t taken any reps off in practice, and we are practicing differently. We know we have to come out and play. We try not to look at who we’re playing. We know if we practice the same, we’ll get the same outcome.”  

While the intensity of practice has ramped up a couple of levels since 2016, Claypool is used to it as it was something he battled last fall. Division-I competition was a major rise in competition, as he literally ran circles around Canadian high school teams. 

“I had to play up to the competition level a little bit more,” explained Claypool. “I tried to step up to the competition as best as I could. It was a challenge and definitely much harder than high school ball. It wasn’t too much of a transition, but it was definitely eye-opening.”