Notre Dame WR Braden Lenzy announces retirement following Gator Bowl

Notre Dame wide receiver Braden Lenzy is hanging up his cleats. He took to Twitter to announce his retirement from football Saturday after the Fighting Irish’s Gator Bowl win over South Carolina Friday night.

In his announcement, he confirmed he has a job lined up at Medasource, a healthcare consulting firm located in Indiana.

“Hanging up the cleats for good!” Lenzy tweeted. “Excited to be joining Medasource January 9th! Thank you Notre Dame for being everything I could have asked for and more! Go Irish!”

Lenzy ranked fourth on the Fighting Irish roster this season with 309 receiving yards and had a big day in the Gator Bowl. He caught four receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown to help Notre Dame come back to defeat South Carolina 45-38 in a thrilling first bowl victory for Marcus Freeman.

His departure adds to the losses on offense, notably with star tight end Michael Mayer heading to the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer led the Fighting Irish with 809 receiving yards and nine touchdowns to cement himself as arguably the best tight end in program history.

Marcus Freeman reacts to thrilling Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina

In a year that started with a loss to Ohio State and saw ugly home losses to Marshall and Stanford, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame ended the year on a high note. The Fighting Irish fought off South Carolina in the Gator Bowl Friday night 45-38 — the first bowl victory of the Freeman era.

It wasn’t easy, though. Both teams traded blows and showed off their trick plays on special teams, but Notre Dame ultimately came out on top. The game was close the entire way, especially in the second half.

Freeman acknowledged that in his postgame interview, too.

“There was not a moment in the second half that you could relax,” Freeman told ESPN’s Alyssa Lang. “I’m just proud of this team. that was a great South Carolina team that we faced today. To come out with a victory, man, that’s huge for the program.”