Notre Dame WRs Deion Colzie, KK Smith will be available in Sun Bowl
After a week of turmoil at the wide receiver position, Notre Dame fans got some good news on that front regarding the upcoming Sun Bowl. Junior wideout Deion Colzie and freshman receiver KK Smith will both be available in El Paso, Texas, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman confirmed in a Zoom press conference Monday.
Colzie caught 3 passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in Week 0 against Navy, but he underwent a knee scope in September that cost him the remainder of the regular season. Smith has not played yet this season after undergoing shoulder surgery this summer.
Smith warmed up in full uniform before Notre Dame took on Wake Forest on Nov. 18 in South Bend, but he did not play.
“Both Deion and KK will be available,” Freeman said. “This is obviously KK’s first real practice. We’ve only had two practices so far, but I’m excited to see him as we continue to progress.”
A Frisco (Texas) Reedy graduate, Smith was the No. 528 player and No. 79 wide receiver in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. He committed to Notre Dame after decommitting from Texas Tech, which was his only offer until his senior year.
He was committed to the Red Raiders from November 2021 until Dec. 1, 2022, when he flipped to Notre Dame.
“Originally, what I was basing my decision off of was the family and culture in the program, and I knew Texas Tech had that,” Smith said at the time. “But when Notre Dame came through, I had the opportunity to play for a young, Black head coach. There’s such a prestige with Notre Dame with what it can do for you long term. Coach Freeman kept telling me that if you come here for four years, it’ll help set you up for life. That was huge.”
Colzie, after his strong performance against Navy on Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland, did not catch a pass for the next three weeks. He dressed for the game but did not play in Week 4 against Ohio State. The knee issues that plagued Colzie in 2022 popped up again, and he and the Irish opted for surgery to fix the issue.
Notre Dame will be shorthanded at wide receiver in the Sun Bowl after senior Chris Tyree, sophomore Tobias Merriweather and freshmen Braylon James and Rico Flores Jr. entered the transfer portal. Offensive coordinator Gerad Parker will coach the position until Mike Brown, the expected replacement for fired wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey, takes over.
