Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 0 Deion Colzie, junior receiver with a knack for moving the chains

Listed measurements: 6-foot-1 ½, 220 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A junior, Colzie has two years of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Colzie may wrap up the preseason practices as the No. 2 boundary receiver, trailing classmate Jayden Thomas. Both should play plenty, but Thomas entered today’s maiden practice with an edge.
Recruiting: Colzie committed to Notre Dame early, more than a year before he could sign with the Irish, and then decommitted after six months. The step back made sense, given the Georgia native had not been able to officially visit any campus during the recruiting dead period sparked by the pandemic. In time, he again joined Notre Dame, rather than Tennesee or Florida.

A consensus four-star and the No. 19 receiver in the class, per rivals.com, Colzie also held offers from Alabama, Georgia and Oregon.

CAREER TO DATE
Colzie took a healthy number of snaps in 2021 (166), but that was largely running routes because no one else was healthy enough to do so. Then a left knee worry last preseason put Colzie onto the frustrating side of that balance, slowing him through the first half of the 2022 season. He eventually made his impression by converting repeated third downs, showing off his 6-foot-4-plus frame.

2021: 11 games; four catches for 67 yards.
2022: 12 games, one start; nine catches for 192 yards and one touchdown.

QUOTES
The stats may not have been outlandish, but Colzie succeeded in 2022. First downs keep drives alive, right?

But he has to find more on Saturdays, and both Colzie and Notre Dame knew that this spring.

“The spring is trying to teach him what the expectation is now,” Irish receivers coach Chansi Stuckey said in April. “When you do something for so long, you have the expectation that that’s what it takes to be successful. Now roles have changed, and he has to go to a higher level, another mindset.

“Most of the spring I was trying to teach him what it takes to accept more because he was doing what he always did last year. … We wanted to see a jump from him, and then we started to see it.”

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Track and field times and measurements do not directly translate to the football field, but the athleticism they demonstrate broadly does. Colzie not only jumped 6-foot-8 in high school, he also ran a 10.82-second 100-meter dash. Those are not numbers that typically go together.

“Colzie has an athletic skill set that should make him a devastating boundary receiver, very much in the mold of Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool … in time.

“It would be a surprise to see him rise to that level in 2022, but since Notre Dame has no one else in his mold, he should see plenty of opportunities this year. Styles stands 6-foot-1 ⅛, and neither fifth-year Braden Lenzy nor sixth-year Avery Davis cracks 6-foot. Thomas is a relatively big-bodied receiver, but he stands all of 6-foot-1 ½.

“Unless incoming freshman Tobias Merriweather, 6-foot-4, immediately usurps Colzie, the sophomore should work the sidelines throughout the year. If he has developed a comfort catching the ball on his back shoulder, he could be a welcomed safety blanket for sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner.

“Or, Colzie could struggle through the season, as he did in whatever way that led to his nearly-literal no-show in the Fiesta Bowl. That may be crippling for Notre Dame, simply given he is one of only seven scholarship receivers healthy to start the season, a number that includes former walk-on Matt Salerno. …

“The best collegiate cornerbacks struggle with a dynamic 6-foot-4 receiver in one-on-one coverage. That is Colzie’s ceiling, and it is a thought that would open up the Irish offense for the next few years.

“As long as he gradually trends toward that ceiling, Colzie will be given chances at Notre Dame. That leaping-speed combination is too rare to not ease along.

“Furthermore, while the Irish receivers corps will gradually grow in numbers, that will take years. The trio of currently-committed receivers will help the cause, but even if that grows to a group of four by December, Notre Dame will have only eight or nine receivers next season, barring transfers. Half of those will be freshmen.”

2023 OUTLOOK
Anyone with any track background hears the combination of a 10.82-second 100-meter dash and a 6-foot-8 high jump and immediately knows that is an athletic specimen. Put some version of those physical gifts on the football field and good things should come. That remains the tantalizing thought of Colzie.

Those gifts are how he turned five third-and-longs into first downs last year, including two third-and-very-longs. In fact, every one of Colzie’s nine catches last season moved the chains.

When Stuckey mentioned a role, he meant that specific piece late in the season.

If that is all Colzie does in 2023, there are worse niches to fill. But more should await him; Thomas has flashed more consistently, but no Irish receiver is a proven commodity.

DOWN THE ROAD
If Colzie falls out of the rotation in 2023, then he may use his final season of eligibility elsewhere. In fact, and this is not intended as a prediction, if he falls out of the rotation early in the season, he may opt to play in only four games in order to preserve a season of eligibility to play two years wherever is next.

But if Colzie finally sticks in Notre Dame’s rotation, then he could have a significant role in 2024. Slow-developing — but developing — big-bodied receivers have become a bit of a South Bend tradition, and he could be the first one under the new coaching staff.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 47 Jason Onye, junior defensive tackle on the verge of playing time
No. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka, sophomore defensive end, former linebacker
No. 42 Nolan Ziegler, sophomore linebacker, Irish legacy
No. 41 Donovan Hinish, sophomore defensive tackle following in his brother’s footsteps
No. 40 Joshua Burnham, sophomore linebacker-turned-Vyper end
No. 38 Davis Sherwood, junior fullback/H-back, former walk-on
No. 34 Drayk Bowen, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, baseball infielder
No. 32 Spencer Shrader, South Florida transfer kicker
No. 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah, fifth-year defensive end
No. 29 Christian Gray, early-enrolled freshman cornerback coming off a knee injury
No. 29 Matt Salerno, sixth-year receiver, former walk-on
No. 27 JD Bertrand, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, possible captain
No. 25 Preston Zinter, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, subtle recruiting win
No. 24 Jack Kiser, fifth-year linebacker, third-year starter, most efficient defender
No. 24 Jadarian Price, sophomore RB, reportedly recovered from an Achilles injury
No. 23 Jaiden Ausberry, early-enrolled freshman linebacker, four-star recruit
No. 22 Ben Minich, early-enrolled freshman safety, four-star recruit
No. 22 Jeremiyah Love, incoming freshman running back, four-star recruit
No. 21 Adon Shuler, early-enrolled freshman safety coming off shoulder surgery
No. 20 Benjamin Morrison, sophomore cornerback, preseason All-American
No. 19 Jaden Greathouse, early-enrolled freshman receiver, Blue-Gold Game star
No. 18 Steve Angeli, sophomore quarterback, competing for the backup role
No. 18 Chance Tucker, junior cornerback
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 17 Rico Flores Jr., early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 16 Micah Bell, incoming freshman cornerback, speedy four-star recruit
No. 15 Ryan Barnes, junior cornerback
No. 14 Bryce McFerson, sophomore punter facing a challenge for a second straight year
No. 14 Braylon James, early-enrolled freshman receiver, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 13 Thomas Harper, Oklahoma State graduate transfer safety/nickel back
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 12 Jordan Botelho, senior Vyper defensive end
No. 11 KK Smith, incoming freshman receiver, speedster
No. 11 Ramon Henderson, senior safety
No. 10 Sam Hartman, Wake Forest graduate transfer quarterback, QB1
No. 9 Eli Raridon, sophomore tight end coming off a second ACL tear
No. 8 Kenny Minchey, early-enrolled freshman quarterback, former Pittsburgh commit
No. 8 Marist Liufau, fifth-year linebacker, second season as a starter
No. 7 Audric Estimé, junior running back, bellcow, workhorse
No. 7 Jaden Mickey, sophomore cornerback coming off big and small life lessons
No. 6 Clarence Lewis, senior cornerback with more experience than most realize
No. 5 Tobias Merriweather, sophomore receiver subject to lofty comparisons
No. 5 Cam Hart, fifth-year cornerback, coming off another shoulder injury
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
No. 3 Jaylen Sneed, sophomore linebacker coming off a notable role in the Gator Bowl
No. 3 Gi’Bran Payne, sophomore running back
No. 2 DJ Brown, sixth-year safety, possible two-year starter
No. 2 Chris Tyree, senior running back-turned-receiver
No. 1 Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Ohio State transfer defensive end
No. 0 Xavier Watts, senior safety, likely starter

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