Notre Dame football receiver Jayden Thomas hasn’t had a fantastic season, but he’s coming on at the right time.
After a fumble in the first half, the Notre Dame football coaching staff decided to bench wide receiver Jayden Thomas during the regular season finale against the USC Trojans. He acknowledges that he deserved to be benched, even if it wasn’t easy to accept.
“You can’t go out there and fumble the ball,” Thomas said in a recent media interview about the game. “Trust is crucial. If I fumble while I’m out there, the coaches won’t trust me.”
This season, Thomas has averaged nearly 19 offensive snaps per game for Notre Dame, but against USC, he saw a season-low of just seven snaps. This followed a 2023 season where he was working to recover from injuries. Nevertheless, after scoring a touchdown in the first round of the playoffs against Indiana, it seems that Thomas is on a path of redemption in his last postseason with the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame football veteran receiver looking for a resurgence
With 2 catches for 13 yards and a touchdown, Jayden Thomas received the highest offensive grade among Notre Dame’s receivers at 79.0, according to PFF, during their 27-17 victory over Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Thomas also played a crucial role in helping his teammates score. He made a key block on Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown run against IU. After motioning to the right side of the offensive line as if he were a detached tight end, he successfully blocked defensive end Lanell Carr Jr. on Love’s designed run to the left.
“I’m strong enough to hold a block for maybe two seconds, whether it’s against a defensive end or linebacker,” Thomas explained. “As you saw, I made a quick two-second block, and J-Love took it 98 yards. If I can give my all for that brief moment, we have a good chance of doing something special.”
This shows that Thomas understands and has embraced his role. He could be a significant asset for the Notre Dame team against Georgia. With one more opportunity to shine, it will be interesting to see what unfolds.
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