This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #13 Lawrence Keys III, WR

Welcome back to “This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football”. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.

#13 Lawrence Keys, WR

Lawrence Keys III came to Notre Dame from New Orleans as a late edition to the 2018 recruiting class. He was by no means a big name from that class, but will be one that will definitely make his presence felt this year and for years to come. Last year, he made splashes on scout team and in camp, but ultimately was a bit too small (5’10 172 lbs.) and inexperienced to get playing time. He preserved a year of eligibility and had a very good spring and looks to be a rotational player in the offense, giving Chris Finke a blow. His combination of quickness and speed have the coaches salivating and Chip Long will find unique ways to get the ball into this playmakers hands this year.

Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, or Chicago

Continuing with my T-Swift Trend....I would have to say trouble. Keys was a late commit and not one that had a lot of buzz heading into fall camp a year ago. However, he quickly made his mark and was making plays. He was causing “trouble” to dbs as he was so shifty and difficult to cover out of the slot. As a former nickel back, he is my nightmare guy to cover in space.

Hey Dog HEY!

Austrian Shepherd- These dogs are incredible agile and are known to be one of the most athletic dog breeds. I imagine they would be incredibly difficult to tackle in open space, much like Keys.

2019 Outlook

Keys will play an integral part of the offense this year, but how much so will be dependent on what he does when he gets the ball early on. He will be given chances to make plays with some (hopefully) easy/winnable games vs. Louisville and New Mexico. This will allow the coaches to trust him more in the bigger moments. Chip Long will work to find creative ways to get him the ball early, as he is that talented with the ball in his hands. Look for jet sweeps, smoke screens, and some backside routes with him in space. He will be a primary backup to Chris Finke, which should be great for the offense to get as many fresh (and capable) bodies in there as possible. If I was a betting man I would say he finishes with 20-30 touches (rushes/returns/catches), but make a couple of “wow” plays as he transitions to a full time starter in the slot next year.

YouTube Hot Fire

Here is a reminder of the type of skills he possessed as a high schooler....He was/is a SMOOTH player. He also plays a lot bigger than he actually is.