'14 IN WR Justin Brent (Notre Dame Early Enrollee)

[anarin]

BK noted in his presser that Justin did a certain drill wrong because of screwing up his right and left...he then went on to say he ran into chris brown and took his head off...then said chris had to re-attach his head...so this guy is def put together for a wr

To be fair, brown is 115 lbs soaking wet

 

[GBdomer]

He's going to be a really, really strong WR and tough to tackle. Would have been a great safety too, IMO.

Has he ever played safety? Let alone have the speed in the open field to do it? I would love to hear your assessment here.

 

[ryno 24]

He played safety in High School as a senior. He is a WR though and this is where his talent can be used best.

 

[Luckylucci]

Has he ever played safety? Let alone have the speed in the open field to do it? I would love to hear your assessment here.

The Coon likes putting everybody at S. If GAIII was here he would have been a S as well.

 

[IrishLion]

Has he ever played safety? Let alone have the speed in the open field to do it? I would love to hear your assessment here.

A big, physical guy with good ball skills? I'm sure he could have been a decent safety with proper development for a year or so at the DI level. He did play RB as a senior, so he's got versatility.

 

[koonja]

Has he ever played safety? Let alone have the speed in the open field to do it? I would love to hear your assessment here.

He's big, much bigger than the average freshman WR who's 6'1", incredibly strong, and has no problem with contact (played RB in HS).

Why don't you think he'd be a great safety?

 

[koonja]

The Coon likes putting everybody at S. If GAIII was here he would have been a S as well.

Still don't think I was wrong about that!

 

[zelezo vlk]

He just is waiting for you to post a pic of Brent and Redfield for comparison's sake...

 

[GBdomer]

He's big, much bigger than the average freshman WR who's 6'1", incredibly strong, and has no problem with contact (played RB in HS).

Why don't you think he'd be a great safety?

My biggest question is if he could play in space in the open field? Safety and RB are different but I get what your saying. I just think he will be a excellent WR for us and not safety.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Still don't think I was wrong about that!

Worst ball hawking safety ever. Would end his career with 0 picks.

 

[koonja]

My biggest question is if he could play in space in the open field? Safety and RB are different but I get what your saying. I just think he will be a excellent WR for us and not safety.

Well I also think he'll be a WR for us since that's what he is. And I think he'll be damn good, especially after the catch. But he's built perfectly for safety too.

*Unlike GAIII and Onowala where I advocated for them to play saftey a year or two ago, I do not think Brent should switch. Just that he'd be damn good at it*.

 

[GBdomer]

Well I also think he'll be a WR for us since that's what he is. And I think he'll be damn good, especially after the catch. But he's built perfectly for safety too.

*Unlike GAIII and Onowala where I advocated for them to play saftey a year or two ago, I do not think Brent should switch. Just that he'd be damn good at it*.

You are one of a kind man, next time your close to Green Bay I will come meet for a beer

Plus GA3 would have been a pussayyyy at safety

 

[koonja]

You are one of a kind man, next time your close to Green Bay I will come meet for a beer

Plus GA3 would have been a pussayyyy at safety

Deal.

Well yeah, but you can get away with that more as a safety than a RB lol.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I believe that Brent may well be The Man of this crop. He is the first name off Kelly's lips, which are apparently smacking at the thought of having him on his side off the ball. If guys like Fuller and Robinson didn't have such freaky upsides themselves, I'd speculate that he would be a threat to end the season playing starter-quality minutes. That's a bit over-the-top but Kelly seems to REALLY like him. Even Davaris should come seriously ready to play.

 

[Luckylucci]

Still don't think I was wrong about that!

Of course you don't, haha.

 

[Booslum31]

I believe that Brent may well be The Man of this crop. He is the first name off Kelly's lips, which are apparently smacking at the thought of having him on his side off the ball. If guys like Fuller and Robinson didn't have such freaky upsides themselves, I'd speculate that he would be a threat to end the season playing starter-quality minutes. That's a bit over-the-top but Kelly seems to REALLY like him. Even Davaris should come seriously ready to play.

I agree OMM. He doesn't look/play like a freshman and he has the benefit of coming in early. I think he's going to be a beast after the catch with all of his experience at RB in HS. Definitely my favorite in this class.

 

[ResLife Hero]

Irish A-to-Z: Justin Brent | Inside the Irish

Instead of finishing up high school and running track at Speedway Sparkplugs, Justin Brent left Indianapolis and spent the spring in South Bend, thrown into the deep end of college football after being a very big fish in the relatively small pond of Indiana high school football. The talented recruit enters one of the stiffest positional battles on the roster, filled with young, but unproven receivers.

Brent seems to bring something different to the Irish that doesn’t currently exist. But we’ll have to wait until fall to see if that’s enough to push him into the mix for playing time, or if it means he’ll spend the year watching and learning.



JUSTIN BRENT
6’1.5″, 204 lbs.
Freshman, No. 11



RECRUITING PROFILE

When Notre Dame accepted the commitment of Brent way back in July of 2012, many Irish fans shrugged their shoulders. An Indiana product with little national reputation was coming to South Bend. Who’s next? But then Brent hit the summer circuit, turning heads and shooting up recruiting rankings at a breakneck pace.

Brent is another example of Notre Dame identifying a prospect early and having the conviction to pull the trigger on an offer. It looks like it’s turning out okay for Corey Robinson, who Notre Dame offered before Texas-San Antonio, and there’s reason to believe that it should work out with Brent.

A senior season spent playing mostly running back capped Brent out at a high four-star rating by Rivals, and an offer list that only included Louisville likely means that programs like Ohio State and Michigan kicked the tires on Brent, who wasn’t budging. But any worry that Brent physically doesn’t measure up to other elite prospects was erased when he outperformed most of them at The Opening in Oregon and at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Chicago.



FUTURE POTENTIAL

Right now, that’s all Brent has. But our first look at Brent during spring drills takes a bit of the luster off of him, if only because we saw Brent looking like — shocker — a freshman. Physically, only slot receiver C.J. Prosise looks like Brent, and you’d get confused that the freshman from Indianapolis is the one pushing around multiple plates in the weight room, not an upperclassman playing linebacker.

But Brent comes from a high school system that wasn’t offensively advanced, and in an effort to get the football in his hands, he spent most of his final year in high school playing running back, leading you to believe that there’s nuance still needed to play receiver for Mike Denbrock.

But as we’ve seen in the past few recruiting cycles, Brian Kelly knows exactly what he wants from a wide receiver prospect. And Brent has the speed and ball skills that should have you believing he’ll be a capable contributor sooner than later, though maybe not soon enough to break into the 2014 depth chart.



CRYSTAL BALL

It may have been a foolish prediction around Signing Day, but I get the feeling that Brent might spend the year redshirting. It’s a decision that Kelly pulled off with DaVaris Daniels, another receiver with NFL potential who was stuck behind Michael Floyd so this isn’t a referendum on his talent. But there just might not be enough footballs to make it worth using a year of eligibility.

Where Brent might slide into the mix is after Daniels heads to the NFL, which may be after the 2014 season. That would leave Will Fuller, Corey Robinson and Chris Brown as outside receivers, along with the unknown quantities that are Torii Hunter Jr. and Corey Holmes (and an incoming freshman class). If Brent projects inside, he’ll likely have both Prosise and Carlisle still in the mix, though the staff believes he’s an outside receiver in the current system.

Snippets of UND.com practice videos aren’t necessarily the best evaluation tool, but Brent has some work to do sharpening his routes and getting more comfortable playing as a true wideout. But physically and athletically he looks the part of a dominant offensive weapon, and that’s a great place to start.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I think Brent sees the field as a ST standout this year as he learns the playbook and becomes a better route runner. Just my opinion. The kid is a freak physically and athletically though. Very excited for the future.

 

[rtrn2glory]

most p.t. he'll see is the amount C rob did as a freshman...but i think it'll be less than that

 

[GBdomer]

I think Brent sees the field as a ST standout this year as he learns the playbook and becomes a better route runner. Just my opinion. The kid is a freak physically and athletically though. Very excited for the future.

I don't think you should burn a red shirt because he might make a couple plays on special teams. I would rather have him back for this 5th year and compete for a starting job. Plenty of people on this team who can play special teams

 

[NDhoosier]

I think he will play some WR this year.

 

[ResLife Hero]

I don't think you should burn a red shirt because he might make a couple plays on special teams. I would rather have him back for this 5th year and compete for a starting job. Plenty of people on this team who can play special teams

I agree with this. Especially with him shaking off the rust and transitioning back to a full-time WR, I'd rather see him take a year to learn how to apply his freakish strength to his craft. A number of articles and quotes from the coaches emphasized how raw he was in terms of route running and using his body to get separation. Plus, maybe the biggest thing to me, is that I expect the playbook to be wide open this year. If we have a healthy and talented stable of WRs who know the playbook, let's not try to force the kid onto the field. If he shows up in the fall ready to go and contribute, then play him. Otherwise, let him learn and develop so he can be a real beast in year 2.

 

[dublinirish]

I think I would rather see him RS too

 

[Denny]

Notre Dame Football Player Justin Brent -- Yes, That's Porn Star Lisa Ann On My Lap | TMZ.com

 

[aubeirish]

Damn.

 

[Irishnuke]

Notre Dame Football Player Justin Brent -- Yes, That's Porn Star Lisa Ann On My Lap | TMZ.com

Oh man. Getting my popcorn ready.

 

[Chamellion]

It's fall break, I'm sitting at home and he's banging porn stars. Difference between athletes and NARPs.

 

[Emcee77]

Oh dear. Hanging out with porn stars is never a good sign. Do we have a Gronk on our hands? lol (that's just fine from a football perspective, btw)

 

[IrishLion]

Hahaha.

Good lord there is never a dull moment.

Can't wait to see all the hawt hawt hawt takes about this one.

 

[tussin]

Oh dear. Hanging out with porn stars is never a good sign. Do we have a Gronk on our hands? lol (that's just fine from a football perspective, btw)

Let's hope so.