Two Notre Dame Wide Receiver Ranked Among The Nation's Best Pass Catchers

Contrary to the national narrative, Notre Dame has some playmakers at the wide receiver position, Lindy's Sports certainly thinks so. Junior Jaden Greathouse and Virginia transfer Malachi Fields made their top 20 receivers list a head of the 2025 season. The Irish are one of five schools in the FBS with multiple players on Lindy's top 20 receivers rankings; Clemson leads the way with three. 

Based on how he ended last season, it's not a surprise Greathouse landed on this list at No. 9. In the College Football Playoff Semifinals against Penn State, he torched their secondary in the second half and finished the game with seven catches for 105 yards and one touchdown. Four of his seven receptions went for a first down. 

In National Championship against Ohio State, Greathouse, once again, had a spectacular second half which helped propel Notre Dame into a comeback which ultimately fell short. Greathouse finished the night with six catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes stout defense. He finished 2024 as Notre Dame's leading receiver in yards, touchdowns and yards per catch. 

Fields, the Virginia transfer, adds a different element to Notre Dame's passing game that they haven't had since 2019 when Chase Claypool was their primary boundary receiver. Fields is 6-4 220 pounds and has had extremely consistent and productive seasons in 2023 and 2024 in a struggling Cavaliers passing offense. 

In 2023, Fields finished with 58 receptions, 811 yards, averaged 14.0 yards per catch and hauled in five touchdowns. This past season, his numbers were almost identical hauling in 55 receptions for 808 yards, averaged 14.7 yards per catch and repeated his five touchdown performance. He has an extremely wide catch radius and is excellent at making contested catches, but where he's grossly underrated is as a route runner. 

Despite being 6-4 220 pounds, Fields is a crisp route runner and has good vertical speed to boot. He and Greathouse will be a one-two punch at the receiver position that hasn't been present in South Bend in quite some time. Once you factor in Jordan Faison, Will Pauling, Cam Williams and Micah Gilbert into the mix, the Irish receiving corps is more deadly than what some think. 

Ironically enough, Notre Dame is one of only five teams with multiple receivers listed on Lindy's top 20 receivers ahead of the 2025 season, however, the Irish are left off the Lindy's top 10 receiver units list completely. Florida made the overall units list at No. 9 but didn't have a single receiver listed in the top 20. 

Regardless, that doesn't take away from Notre Dame having two wide receivers ranked inside of the top 17 in college football by Lindy's. This offense under year two of Mike Denbrock is set to make a jump, specifically in the passing game. Whichever quarterback wins the starting job, a bump in pass game efficiency and willingness to take down field shots is to be expected. Greathouse and Fields will play a big part in making that narrative come true.