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The former walk-on turned scholarship player first made his mark as an unspectacular but reliable punt returner. He worked his way into the receiver rotation the last two seasons, particularly in ’22, coming up big in the season-opener at Ohio State.
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Counting Down the Irish – No. 41 WR-Matt Salerno
The former walk-on turned scholarship player first made his mark as an unspectacular but reliable punt returner. He worked his way into the receiver rotation the last two seasons, particularly in ’22, coming up big in the season-opener at Ohio State.
By:
TIM PRISTER Jun 16, 2023
Guys like
Matt Salerno – on paper – shouldn’t see the field at Notre Dame as much as he has the last two seasons. It’s just that the motivated, overachieving, productive Salerno – now in his last go-round with the Irish – has proven to be very difficult to deny.
The former walk-on from Valencia, Calif. – who occupies a roster spot with current walk-on/brother
Chris Salerno, a junior kicker – just keeps finding a way to a) remain in the program and b) contribute to the cause.
Five of Salerno’s six career receptions came last season, including a 31-yard grab against Ohio State in the ’22 opener and a one-yard touchdown reception, the first of his career, in the blowout victory over Boston College.
Salerno first impacted the Irish in 2020 when he succeeded another former walk-on,
Chris Finke, by handling Notre Dame’s punt return chores. He called for a whole bunch of fair catches while returning 10 punts for 45 yards (4.5-yard average).
Kyren Williams and
Brandon Joseph returned punts ahead of Salerno in 2021-22, although Salerno returned five punts in each season.
All told, Salerno has returned 20 punts for 95 yards with a long of 28 last season.
Salerno was a part of the slot receiver rotation in ’22. The competition increases significantly this year with the emergence of young wideouts such as
Jaden Greathouse and
Rico Flores Jr., the former of which worked in the slot in the spring as an early-entry freshman. An even greater threat to Salerno’s playing time is former running back
Chris Tyree.
• Irish Illustrated Ranking: 41
• Prister Ranking: 36
• O’Malley Ranking: 41
• Sinclair Ranking: 48
• 2022 Ranking: 64
O’Malley Says: “I’m not going with the Prister 15-20 catch season, but I agree
Sam Hartman will maximize Salerno’s ability to get open. We’ve seen the former walk-on make myriad tough catches one-on-one against Notre Dame’s cornerbacks over the last two springs and late August.”
Sinclair Says: “With numerous recruiting misses and injuries last year,
Matt Salerno played a much bigger role than he anticipated when he initially walked on. And he’s a fairly reliable pass-catcher when called upon. But with several young players emerging, Salerno’s role will likely be trimmed down. However, he’s a key piece of the special teams puzzle and a reliable punt returner.”
What To Expect in 2023
Some role in the passing game with an updated prediction of 10-to-12 receptions. His place in the passing game – he was on the field for 129 snaps in ’22 – could be diminished because of the continued emergence of
Tobias Merriweather and freshman receivers
Jaden Greathouse and
Rico Flores Jr. Senior
Chris Tyree and Greathouse offer the greatest roadblocks with both working from the slot in the spring.
However, with
Sam Hartman at quarterback, it would not be a surprise if the experienced signalcaller has a much better feel for where his weapons are and that the assignment-correct, disciplined Salerno makes himself available in the passing game, particularly as second and third reads for Hartman.
While Greathouse received multiple opportunities to return punts in the Blue-Gold Game, Salerno remains the safest and perhaps even most likely option because of his experience and reliability handling the football.
Future Prospects
This is the last hurrah for Salerno as he continues the maximization of his abilities. Salerno passes the baton to
Chris Tyree – who has two years of eligibility heading into the ’23 season – and freshman
Jaden Greathouse, an unusually large slot receiver with carve-out-space ability.
Stat Of The Day
The emergence of
Deion Colzie and
Tobias Merriweather created an uptick in Notre Dame’s pass-catching corps last season while
Braden Lenzy (518) and
Jayden Thomas (483) finished one-two in snaps with the struggling
Lorenzo Styles still managing to log 473.
But even with Colzie (115) and Merriweather (78) on the rise, the unflappable Salerno saw the field for 129 snaps – the fourth most on the squad in ’22.
Quotes To Note
“It’s our job as coaches to put (Salerno) in a position to do what he does well and not ask him to do something he probably shouldn't be doing. Having his role and doing what he should be doing -- he's going to give his all in everything he does. You look up and he’s going to make some plays.” - WR coach Chansi Stuckey
“I like to disguise my routes and not let the DB know what's coming. Just trying to be deceptive and disguise things…Being (an older) guy, I know the offense really well. Just being able to fill in any role that needs someone, play different positions and help out the other guys as well.” - Salerno
