2026 Fall Camp Thread

[matman4593]

Greathouse in the 2024 Regular Season amongst P4 WRs (191 qualified):

- 22nd in Reception %: amount of catches per target
- 3rd in Contested Catch %: amount of catches per contested target
- 1 Drop

He is with no doubt, a solid possession WR. Doesn’t have the highest upside in the room, but 100% should have an important role if healthy.

for those that remember that one drop though...

 

[RudyVerse]

We have 3 solid options at Boundary and 2 have to pop. Micah Gilbert is healthy and experienced but hasn't shown anything. Porter who has ideal size and talent, but may not be a full go. Greathouse who's undersize but shows he can win as well as anyone as a possession guy. I'm confident 2 pop.

 

[CoachB]

It has actually been documented that they are doing things differently for a faster start. Like they essentially had a college version of OTAs. They have been practicing at a much higher level in the offseason rather than easing into it. As J-Love says, all gas, no brakes!

 

[allenm5333]

Greathouse in the 2024 Regular Season amongst P4 WRs (191 qualified):

- 22nd in Reception %: amount of catches per target
- 3rd in Contested Catch %: amount of catches per contested target
- 1 Drop

He is with no doubt, a solid possession WR. Doesn’t have the highest upside in the room, but 100% should have an important role if healthy.

what is the sample size? that matters too. the more targets he gets the more we may see what he really is. idk...lots of layers

 

[Dale]

what is the sample size? that matters too. the more targets he gets the more we may see what he really is. idk...lots of layers

Wym? He was our leading WR in 2024 lol. When targets went up, he produced even more (the CFP), which I even excluded.

 

[allenm5333]

Wym? He was our leading WR in 2024 lol. When targets went up, he produced even more (the CFP), which I even excluded.

I just don't see it with him. I am okay being in the minority here.

 

[IrishLax]

Let's assume Greathouse is healthy. The question really becomes what is his snap share / target share relative to the other guys.

Unfortunately for him, the spring buzz was that Mylan Graham is the real deal and that Faison is the toughest cover + YAC king. So ostensibly they are your top 2 guys in two of the positions, and what you're looking for is that Malachi Fields big body or deep threat style WR. Greathouse best position is probably slot, but what if there is a log jam there? Does he square-peg-round-hole at another position?

Because he's probably your third best guy in terms of what he has proven. Porter -- if people are being honest -- no one seems to really know if they will get anything out of him. And everyone else is equally kind of unproven but people seem to like their upside. There are only so many reps and so many targets to go around though, so some one is getting left out.

 

[Dale]

Let's assume Greathouse is healthy. The question really becomes what is his snap share / target share relative to the other guys.

Unfortunately for him, the spring buzz was that Mylan Graham is the real deal and that Faison is the toughest cover + YAC king. So ostensibly they are your top 2 guys in two of the positions, and what you're looking for is that Malachi Fields big body or deep threat style WR. Greathouse best position is probably slot, but what if there is a log jam there? Does he square-peg-round-hole at another position?

Because he's probably your third best guy in terms of what he has proven. Porter -- if people are being honest -- no one seems to really know if they will get anything out of him. And everyone else is equally kind of unproven but people seem to like their upside. There are only so many reps and so many targets to go around though, so some one is getting left out.

I think ideally it’s just a 3 for 2 scenario where the main benefit is rest/depth and secondary benefit is different skill set

 

[jerseyborn1971]

There are going to be a lot of blowouts. Everyone is going to get time and targets.

 

[IrishLax]

I think ideally it’s just a 3 for 2 scenario where the main benefit is rest/depth and secondary benefit is different skill set

I likewise think that this is probably what is going to happen. Graham and Faison will have the largest snap share, but Greathouse is probably running ~50% of routes. Either something like 75%, 75%, 50% of available routes from those spots or you occasionally see all three on the field together with someone being joysticked.

I think Gilbert, Williams, Porter, and the young guys are all just going to be in "prove it" mode for what they can contribute situationally, and then depending on camp and in game performance someone might separate from the pack.

Pure speculation, I also think we will be more WR heavy relative to TE usage than maybe we've ever been.

 

[Irishcop]

Out of the two Ohio State wr transfers, who has the higher ceiling? Porter or Graham. I know neither has played much yet.

 

[IrishLax]

Out of the two Ohio State wr transfers, who has the higher ceiling? Porter or Graham. I know neither has played much yet.

I don't think anyone knows anything about Porter, including even Ohio State people. So his ceiling is unknown, because he just literally hasn't been healthy enough to show anything.

Graham I was told is probably the best overall WR on the team and a lock to start, so I expect that means he's at worst a mid-round NFL talent. He probably would've competed with Inniss for the starting slot position at Ohio State this year, assuming Chris Henry is all he is hyped up to be.

 

[allenm5333]

I don't think anyone knows anything about Porter, including even Ohio State people. So his ceiling is unknown, because he just literally hasn't been healthy enough to show anything.

Graham I was told is probably the best overall WR on the team and a lock to start, so I expect that means he's at worst a mid-round NFL talent. He probably would've competed with Inniss for the starting slot position at Ohio State this year, assuming Chris Henry is all he is hyped up to be.

Mixed messages from Ohio State guys. Some say Porter, others Graham. I think Graham will be better this year but upside could be Porter. Porter is a legit X Wr body

 

[pumpdog20]

I don't know why, but I want Bubba Frazier in the slot so bad. He doesn't have to replace Greathouse, if JG is healthy. But I think Frazier is going to be our Malachi Toney, eventually.

 

[RudyVerse]

We’re Fd at boundary.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

How'd the pitch look? I was just watching the hamstring the whole time.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Let's assume Greathouse is healthy. The question really becomes what is his snap share / target share relative to the other guys.

Unfortunately for him, the spring buzz was that Mylan Graham is the real deal and that Faison is the toughest cover + YAC king. So ostensibly they are your top 2 guys in two of the positions, and what you're looking for is that Malachi Fields big body or deep threat style WR. Greathouse best position is probably slot, but what if there is a log jam there? Does he square-peg-round-hole at another position?

Because he's probably your third best guy in terms of what he has proven. Porter -- if people are being honest -- no one seems to really know if they will get anything out of him. And everyone else is equally kind of unproven but people seem to like their upside. There are only so many reps and so many targets to go around though, so some one is getting left out.

I think if Gilbert stays healthy he’s going to make a huge impact

 

[jprue24]

In 2024, Greathouse had 29 recs on 39 targets for 359 yards, 1 TD and 16 first downs.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Greathouse had some huge moments in the playoffs, no doubt about it. I think he proved that’s he’s skilled, fearless, and has no quit in him.

Before the playoffs, it appeared that he and our other WRs lacked the speed to get consistent separation. Who knows? Maybe it was the QB and mediocre passing game. But the regular season was so quiet, it’s hard to see him as a consistent, top-tier threat.

I have no doubt he’ll play a bunch because of blocking and leadership,

 

[OKCDomer23]

I don't know why, but I want Bubba Frazier in the slot so bad. He doesn't have to replace Greathouse, if JG is healthy. But I think Frazier is going to be our Malachi Toney, eventually.

Toney is an absolute star and led the nation in receptions while putting up over 1,200 yards. If Frazier is that kind of talent, he likely starts early.

On the Greathouse discussion, he just needs to separate on his routes. It's that simple. We all know how great his hands and body control are, but he has to get open. Carr will deliver the goods, but the wide receivers need to do their part. Very eager to get camp reports soon and which wrs impress the most.

 

[T-Boone]

Walton will only see garbage time this year....

This should mean he is coming on in the second quarter of 10 of the games.

 

[T-Boone]

Standing by for what ridiculous bet 08 is going to get himself roped into this year. Maybe run it back with the same bet as last year??

After the off season 08 had, demanding DLmen and getting that demand met big time he is easily one of the more heralded/credited posters on IE.

 

[T-Boone]

for those that remember that one drop though...

I only ever seem to remember drops by safety’s. Brown in particular.

 

[peadeam]

Freeman has been asked several times what he's going to do to have a better start to the season. His answer is always to acknowledge the poor starts and then some version of "challenge everything." I love the slogan, but it's not an answer. I don't think I've heard him answer the question with a concrete diagnosis or remedy. I assume he has a plan, because he's thought about this far more than myself. But since he won't say it, here's what I think the answer actually looks like.

1. Put the right guys on the field before the season, not by Game 3.

Each year there are a couple of Game 1 starters replaced by Game 3 or 4. That's a fall camp evaluation failure. Why does it take live bullets against a ranked opponent to figure out what the staff should have sorted out in August? Settle the depth chart honestly before kickoff, not a loss or two in.

2. Take the training wheels off.

If they're good enough to be on the field, then they shouldn't need to be "protected." Simplified game plans and conservative calls to shield young players just delay the inevitable growing pains, and hand early losses to good teams in the process. Let it rip.

3. Play to win, not to not-lose.

This is my biggest one. You gotta play to win in big games. You can't play to not lose. And against OSU (22) and Miami (25), we played to not lose. That works if you start with Navy or Wisconsin. But against real teams? Nah. You gotta go out and trust that your guys are going to win the game. This is war, not chess.

4. Figure out who you are in August, then be fearless from Week 1.

Every year except maybe 2023, we improve immensely over the course of the season. The most obvious was in 2024. There was a real "coming to know who we are" that took place during the season. The NIU game was the turning point. Once that team understood who they were (and weren't), we instantly became better. Then you fit that into the fearless mindset and we went into IU, PSU, and UGA and competed at a high level. It's why we won.

The problem is we keep paying for that self-discovery with September losses. You gotta combine the two: figure out who we are in Fall camp, not just assume or guess, as best we can. Then be fearless from the start and adjust later. That's the key.

How do they actually pull that off? Well, that's why they get paid millions and I just watch and complain. But "challenge everything" isn't the answer. I think this is the outline I'd hand out and aim for.

Your point 1 cost us the first two games last year and no one can convince me otherwise. How did they not recognize that Tae Johnson was a budding star and instead played a safety that was clearly better in the box and was just a step too slow

 

[RudyVerse]

I think if Gilbert stays healthy he’s going to make a huge impact

Based on what? I’ve never seen Micah Gilbert do anything impressive, whether he caught the ball or not I just don’t see it athletically or physically. He caught the standing touchdown at A&M I guess that Charlie Weis would have caught.

 

[NDFAN2008]

Based on what? I’ve never seen Micah Gilbert do anything impressive, whether he caught the ball or not I just don’t see it athletically or physically. He caught the standing touchdown at A&M I guess that Charlie Weis would have caught.

The dude had a touchdown in the first game against Miami. That's just about as good as anyone did in that game at WR.

 

[allenm5333]

Based on what? I’ve never seen Micah Gilbert do anything impressive, whether he caught the ball or not I just don’t see it athletically or physically. He caught the standing touchdown at A&M I guess that Charlie Weis would have caught.

The dude had a touchdown in the first game against Miami. That's just about as good as anyone did in that game at WR.

The Miami TD is a crazy/lucky play by CJ. Gilbert caught a wide open pass...I can't recall him making an alpha like WR catch. The boundary WR position is my biggest question on offense. I think we could argue that our top 3-4 WRs are the field/slot type. Porter hitting as the season progresses would be so so big.

 

[RudyVerse]

The dude had a touchdown in the first game against Miami. That's just about as good as anyone did in that game at WR.

You know that wasn’t indicative of anything Gilbert did. Ty Chan would have caught that with his butt cheeks.

 

[Dale]

I think Gilbert can be a reliable boundary target and seems to have always had good rapport with Carr. Porter (and Williams) have a much higher ceiling.

 

[allenm5333]

I think Gilbert can be a reliable boundary target and seems to have always had good rapport with Carr. Porter (and Williams) have a much higher ceiling.

Yea. I think Gilbert is a good number 2 boundary. Porter and maybe Fitz are the high upside guys. I was wrong on Fitz coming in so take it with a grain of salt