Does Demetris Robertson Fit At Notre Dame?

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and the Irish coaching staff have loaded up at the wide receiver position in recent seasons, and there is a chance that National Signing Day could result in the biggest get yet.

Led by ace recruiter Mike Denbrock and regional recruiter Scott Booker, Notre Dame could very well be on the verge of landing Savannah (Ga.) Christian five-star athlete Demetris Robertson.

A lot can change between now and Feb. 3 — the first day 2016 recruits can sign with the program of their choice — but according to Blue & Gold Illustrated recruiting editor Andrew Ivins, the Irish are in pole position with Robertson ($).

Robertson, who would play wide receiver in South Bend, would be the first five-star prospect at that position to sign with Notre Dame under Kelly, and the first since Michael Floyd inked with the Irish back in February 2008. Floyd went on to become Notre Dame’s all-time leader in receptions (271), receiving yards (3,686) and receiving touchdowns (37), while also setting the single-season mark for catches (100) in 2011.

Robertson would join a recruiting class that already has Corona (Calif.) Centennial standout Javon McKinley, Abbortsbord (British Columbia) wideout Chase Claypool and speedy Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast pass catcher Kevin Stepherson. Landing Robertson would give the Irish arguably the top group of receivers in the country, joining the 2015 haul that Lindy’s listed as the second best unit in the country.

The question facing the Notre Dame staff — and it is certainly a good problem to have — is how do all these talented players fit together? The question is especially pertinent for Robertson, a dynamic athlete that caught just 18 passes for 281 yards the last two seasons while spending most of his time at running back.

An extremely important aspect to recruiting a championship roster is not just landing as many talented players as possible, but landing as many talented players as possible that fit together. If you have three stud receivers that all have the same skill set you are likely going to have one stud on the field and two studs on the bench.

Denbrock and the Irish staff have brought in a diverse group of receivers. If Notre Dame lands Robertson it won’t have to push another talented player to the bench or necessarily take away catches from the other top recruits.

Robertson is a perfect complement to the other receivers on the roster.

HOW ROBERTSON FITS

1. Quality Over Quantity

Some receivers are volume pass catchers. As a coach, you want — and often need — to force feed them the ball as much as possible. Floyd was that type of player for the Irish. Every week Notre Dame built a game plan around getting him the ball as much as possible.

Robertson is not a player the coaching staff needs to force feed the ball over and over in the pass game in order to get maximum impact. In this regard, he is very much like former Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller. Like Fuller, Robertson can do with three or four touches what many receivers need twice as many touches to do.

Fuller had a significant impact on Notre Dame’s 41-31 victory over USC, but he caught just three passes. Of course, those three passes went for 131 yards thanks to a 75-yard touchdown catch on Notre Dame’s first play from scrimmage and a 45-yard sideline grab that set up its final field goal.

When comparing their final two seasons at Notre Dame, Fuller had more receiving yards than did Floyd (2,352 yards to 2,172 yards) but did so on 41 fewer receptions (179 catches to 138 catches). Fuller also had more touchdown receptions (29 to 21). This means Fuller needed far fewer touches to surpass Floyd’s production, which means more opportunities for other players.

The 2014 season showed this quite well, with the W receivers (Chris Brown and Corey Robinson) combining for 79 receptions and 1,087 yards and the Z receivers (C.J. Prosise and Amir Carlisle) combining for 52 receptions and 825 yards.

This means if Robertson does come to Notre Dame and is as good as the Irish staff hopes he is, there will be plenty of opportunities for the other receivers and the tight ends.

2. Positional Flexibility

Both the 2015 and 2016 receiver hauls have tremendous position flexibility, which is imperative. None has more than Robertson. If he picks Notre Dame, Robertson will not be pigeonholed into one spot. This is one area where Robertson actually adds something to the offense that Fuller did not.

Robertson has been mentioned as a replacement for Fuller at the X position, and that is certainly a position he can and will play at times. If he were just an X it would put Robertson in direct competition against current freshman Equanimeous St. Brown, a long and talented player the coaching staff is extremely high on. Robertson could also play the Z position, which would allow him to play alongside St. Brown and also incoming freshman Chase Claypool, who also projects as a possible X receiver.

Over the last two seasons, Notre Dame has not been able — or perhaps not willing — to move its receivers around much this season. Fuller stuck at X, Torii Hunter Jr. and Carlisle stuck at Z (with one game as an exception), and Brown and Robinson stuck at W. The younger receivers and the incoming wideouts, which Notre Dame hopes to include Robertson, provides Denbrock and Kelly with far greater versatility.

With Robertson, he brings a great deal more after-the-catch potential than does any other player on the roster, and even more than Fuller. His strength — which is superior to Fuller at the same stage — would allow him to play inside just as effectively as he can play outside.

Notre Dame could also go with some looks where Robertson is in the backfield, where he would be the perimeter running threat in the read concepts with the quarterback serving as the between-the-tackles threat.

This video shows the dynamic playmaking ability that made Robertson a five-star prospect and one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits. His skill set also makes him a potential nightmare in the screen game.

Moral of the story, Robertson could be a dynamic game breaker in the same game that players like St. Brown, McKinley, Claypool, rising sophomore Miles Boykin or standout tight end Alizé Jones are also making more of the volume plays.

3. Complement To McKinley

One of the advantages to adding Robertson to the class is that he can play with Notre Dame’s two other dynamic pass catchers, especially Javon McKinley.

McKinley and Robertson have two very distinct skill sets. Robertson is a speed burner that is a home run threat on every play. McKinley, on the other hand, brings comparisons to Floyd with his size, elite ball skills and ability to out-play and out-muscle defenders for the football.

With players like St. Brown, Robertson, Hunter Jr., Claypool, Sanders and Stepherson to the multiple receiver side, teams will be forced to make tough choices on what to do backside with McKinley.

If they chose to rotate the coverage to McKinley there is a greater chance one of the receivers on the opposite side of the field gets one-on-one coverage. If they rotate to the trips side or field side then McKinley is left on an island. His skill set is such that he can make plays on the football even when he is covered.

Unlike Robertson, McKinley is a player Notre Dame will want to force feed the football, assuming he pans out as a player. Their respective skill sets are such that you do not have to force feed McKinley at the expense of Robertson, or vice versa.

McKinley is also a threat backside in the screen game, which is also a weapon Notre Dame can use if teams are rolling their coverage to Robertson. While Robertson impacts teams in the screen game with his speed, McKinley does so with his strength and vision.

If both players pan out, Notre Dame could have its best one-two punch since Golden Tate and Michael Floyd were playing side by side (2008-09), or when Jeff Samardzija was paired up with Maurice Stovall (2005).

Samardzija (1,249 yards) and Stovall (1,149 yards) were the last pair of Notre Dame receivers to compile more than 1,000 yards in the same season.

4. Claypool Fits In Too

Versatility is a key component to Robertson’s game, but it is also part of what makes Claypool a standout recruit. Despite his size — he’s listed at 6-5, 215 pounds — Claypool can do a lot of different things. He is a nightmare in the red zone thanks to his jump-ball skills, but he can do more than just outplay defenders for the ball.

Claypool can make plays after the catch, can work the middle of the field and even played some running back in high school. He is not going to get backfield time or handoffs at Notre Dame, but it does speak to his versatility.

This is an example of Claypool making plays after the catch, and this skill set should carry over into the college game.

Claypool and Robertson might both project at the X position, but the versatility each brings to the game will allow the Notre Dame coaches to play them together should they prove to be two of the best three receivers at some point in their careers.

5. Robertson Allows For Patience With Stepherson

If Robertson does not sign with Notre Dame, the only player with the speed element that Fuller brought to the offense is Stepherson. The early enrollee is already on campus, and he needs that extra time to develop.

Without Robertson in the class, Notre Dame will likely be forced to work Stepherson into the rotation sooner than desired. Stepherson checked in at 5-11 and 171 pounds. He lacks the strength needed to be a full-time receiver at this point, but his speed plays well.

Should Notre Dame land Robertson, it could allow the Notre Dame staff to redshirt Stepherson as a freshman. This would give him time to add strength and improve his technique. Giving him more time to learn to do things like this in college:

To answer the question posed in the title, Robertson and the current group of committed receivers would be fit together quite well.