According to multiple reports, Notre Dame wideout Michael Young broke his collarbone during practice on Saturday and could miss “several weeks,” as shown below:

Report: Notre Dame WR Michael Young suffers broken collarbone https://t.co/sfEzTJ1x3U — CollegeFootballTalk (@CFTalk) August 19, 2019

While this should not sideline Young for too much of the season, this is a big blow for the Irish. I expect Young to be sidelined for at least six weeks, if not longer. Two of Notre Dame’s top pass catchers have gone down this past month in Young and starting tight end Cole Kmet. This will cause a youth movement at the wide receiver position for the Irish for at least the first third of the season, giving players like Kevin Austin, Isaiah Robertson, and Lawrence Keys opportunities to showcase their ability as the third wideout behind seniors Chase Claypool and Chris Finke.

While Young has not been a focal part of the offense in past seasons, he was supposed to take on a much larger role this year and help fill the shoes of NFL draftee Miles Boykin. There were rumors that Young was starting to emerge as the starting X with his impressive play thus far in fall camp, but that role will have to be filled by somebody else. With the exception of senior Chase Claypool, Notre Dame lacks explosiveness on the outside and Young’s setback will exasperate that issue. His ability to recover fully and quickly will be paramount if Notre Dame wants to run the table against the quality teams they play early in the season, such as Georgia in week four.

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