Lawrence

Keys III

Keys (5'10"/173) made an interesting move in 2021, transferring from Notre Dame to Tulane and should be one of the team’s top players on either side of the ball in 2022. Crissy Froyd of NBC Sports EDGE and Sports Illustrated recently listed Keys as a player who could make a big impact in the potential rise of Green Wave QB Michael Pratt: “The outlook for Tulane is a bit more positive in 2022 after a lowly 2-10 finish last season with new offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda, who has previously worked with head coach Willie Fritz. Pratt is expected to have an upgrade in help around him with the return of running back Tyjae Spears, transfer rusher Ashaad Clayton and a promising wideout in Notre Dame transfer Lawrence Keys, though there’s still questions about the protection up front going into this season.”

Keys (5'10/173) joined Notre Dame as a four-star wide receiver from the 2018 recruiting class, and was considered the no. 47 ranked receiver in that class according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. Keys saw minimal playing time while at Notre Dame, with his snaps all but completely evaporating this season, as he appeared in only one game before deciding to transfer in early October. Now with Tulane, Keys could have a spot on the roster with his name on it, as the Green Wave don’t currently have a receiver on the roster with more than 329 receiving yards.

Keys (5'10/173) had already decided to sit out the season before entering the transfer portal earlier on Thursday. Set to graduate in December, Keys leaves South Bend with 18 receptions for 185 yards and zero touchdowns. He will be on the lookout for his new home.

Keys (5'10/173) appeared to suffer the injury against Florida State on a punt return where he sustained a jarring hit and ended up fumbling. He also missed ND’s previous game against USF due to undisclosed reasons. The redshirt sophomore wideout hasn’t had a big impact on offense recording just one, four-yard reception on the year while handling punt/kick returns. The Fighting Irish will attempt to remain undefeated when they travel to Pitt on Saturday.

Keys (5'10/173) appeared to suffer the injury against Florida State on a punt return where he sustained a jarring hit and ended up fumbling. He had missed ND’s previous game against USF due to undisclosed reasons. Keys has played sparingly in the return game and on offense as he has recorded one reception for four yards thus far in 2020. On a positive note, Notre Dame didn’t record any positive COVID-19 tests in their latest round of testing and have no one in quarantine for the first time since September 8.

Keys and Skowronek were both absent from the depth chart the week after Notre Dame’s win over USF, with no reason given by the school. Both are now available to play, giving the Fighting Irish a welcome boost in the depth department at wide receiver. Neither has been particularly productive this season, with Keys catching one pass for four yards and Skowronek yet to accrue any statistics.

Keys (5'10/173) doesn’t make for a major loss in a vacuum -- he caught 13 passes for 134 yards last season -- but in context, the team is already out two notable wideouts in Ben Skowronek and Kevin Austin. Notre Dame should be able to handle this matchup even shorthanded, but they’re starting to scrape the bottom of the receiving barrel.

Keys (5'10/173) is a surprise no-show on Notre Dame’s two deep depth chart. O’Malley writes that Irish Illustrated has learned Keys has an undisclosed injury, but for now, that potential injury is unconfirmed. Keys is still listed as the team’s starting kick returner, but that is believed to be an error. Keys has seven catches for 70 yards as well as two kick returns for 61 yards for the season. Expect a more concrete update on Keys’ absence from the depth chart over the next few days.

Keys likely won’t have a big role still with Chase Claypool and Chris Finke as the top options, but it’s still a big win for the redshirt freshman. Notre Dame has been giving Keys first-team reps this month with Michael Young (collarbone) sidelined. Keys will have a few weeks to keep his starter role before Young returns.

In something of an oddity, the Irish have lost two players -- TE Cole Kmet and the above-mentioned Young -- to broken collarbones in camp. As for Young’s replacement, the 5-foot-10, 173-pound Keys is a relatively green option. He signed with Notre Dame as a four-star recruit in the 2018 class, but did not see the field his first year on campus. He now has a prime opportunity to make noise early in the season, as Young is reportedly expected to miss 4-6 weeks.