Chansi Stuckey reveals areas of growth for Notre Dame wide receiver Deion Colzie

Chansi Stuckey believes Notre Dame wide receiver Deion Colzie will take a nice step forward in 2022.

While the Fighting Irish wide receivers coach was disappointed to lose star pass catcher Avery Davis to an ACL injury, he’s enthusiastic about the play Colzie — one of the playmakers who will be called upon to replace his production.

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“His personality has come out a bit more. I think he’s more comfortable in who he is and what he can do, and I think that has translated to the field,” stated Stuckey. “Say, ‘Hey, I’m Deion Colzie. This is what I do well. This is who I am. This is my personality. I don’t have to be this guy, this guy. I can just be Deion.’ And he has confidence in himself.

“He’s obviously big. He’s physical. He’s powerful. You say 50/50 ball, but he’s been 80/20. How he’s been going against our DBs. That’s the reputation that you want. I’m big, I’m strong. Hey, watch out for the jump ball. Yeah, you need to watch out for the jump ball, and I’m still going to make the play.”

Unfortunately, Colzie suffered a PCL sprain earlier this week, Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman told reporters. He didn’t provide a firm timeline for his return, but said the Fighting Irish expect to get him back “soon.”

Last season, Colzie appeared in four games last season for Notre Dame, totaling 67 total receiving yards. He’s just the latest Fighting Irish wide receiver to go down with an injury. Earlier Saturday, the program announced Avery Davis suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, just one year after he tore his left ACL.

Evidently, Notre Dame will be relying on Deion Colzie in 2022, and the budding star is ready for the increased opportunity for production when he’s on the field.

Chansi Stuckey discusses how to replace Avery Davis’ production

Continuing, Notre Dame wide receivers coach Chansi Stucky knows the impact of losing star wide receiver Avery Davis will be a great one.

On Saturday, the program announced Davis suffered an ACL injury to his right knee in practice on Friday that will sideline him for the entire 2022 season. He previously tore his left ACL in November 2021, ending his year prematurely then as well.

Afterwards, a reeling Stuckey spoke about how it’ll take a village to replace Davis, but certain wide receivers are already stepping up.

“Avery — he’s such a big void that’s left there. It can’t be filled by one person,” began Stuckey. “You have to do it as a group. Braden [Lenzy] has been stepping up what he’s doing. Lorenzo [Styles], Deion [Colzie] has even been stepping up. So it’s kind of a conglomerate of the whole unit that’s doing the job and trying to fill that void.

“I think it’s made some guys step up who weren’t expected to step up, so that’s been very, very good on our end.”

Davis posted 27 catches for 386 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 prior to the injury. His top Irish football moments came against Clemson in 2020 when Davis caught a 53-yard pass to set up a subsequent 4-yard score, tying the game at 33-33 and sending it to overtime. Notre Dame topped No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime that night.

Moving forward, Avery Davis will be on the mind of not just Chansi Stuckey and the Notre Dame receiving corps — but the team as a whole. It’s a heartbreaking situation, but the star wide receiver will be rooting on the Fighting Irish every step of the way.