SOUTH BEND, Ind. — With junior Greg Bryant not allowed to play this fall, Notre Dame will give sophomore Justin Brent a shot to convert from wide receiver to running back.
Brent, a former four-star recruit, isn’t without experience at running back: As a senior at Speedway High School in Speedway, Ind., he rushed for 1,315 yards and 18 touchdowns. And with Bryant’s ineligibility and a difficult-to-crack wide receiver depth chart, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Brent will work out of the backfield during preseason camp with the possibility he could earn himself some carries once September rolls around.
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“Essentially what I told him,” Kelly said, “is if he takes the ball and runs downhill north and south, doesn't bounce it outside — because I'm sure I've got two freshmen (Josh Adams and Dexter Williams) who are going to want to bounce it outside every time they touch it — if he takes it and he goes downhill and he plays physical, I'll find some carries for him and I'll get him on every special teams (unit).
“If he wants to do that, then I think I can get him some playing time. If not, I think it's going to be hard for him to get on the field because we have such great depth at the wide receiver position.”
Brent would’ve entered preseason camp stuck behind the incumbent receiver duo of junior Corey Robinson (40 catches, 539 yards, 5 TDs in 2014) and senior Chris Brown (39 catches, 548 yards, 1 TD) or 2014 breakout star Will Fuller (76 catches, 1,094 yards, 15 TDs). With every receiver returning from 2014 and four freshmen joining the depth chart, Brent’s best chance to contribute on offense looks to be Notre Dame’s No. 3 running back.
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“It's going to be hard to get him a lot of reps at wide receiver,” Kelly said.
The 6-foot-1, 220 pound Brent, who to date has only made headlines for his off-the-field relationship with adult film star Lisa Ann — “he gets distracted easily,” Kelly quipped this spring — would slot behind Tarean Folston and C.J. Prosise on the Irish running back depth chart if he sticks there.
“He is a very gifted athlete,” Kelly said. “He's big, he's strong, so we'll give it a shot and see if it does anything for us.”
