Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 OCT. 29, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE W hen looking for a little char- acter check and some back- ground info on a young man's legacy that stands strong almost two years after his graduation there, a quick call to the folks at St. Viator High School near Chicago provided everything neces- sary regarding their proud alumnus turned multi-sport Notre Dame ath- lete Cole Kmet. Not even the school's secretary could keep from weighing in on the inquiry. "We wish we had 20 more Coles moving through here," she said. Mike Manno, Kmet's high school baseball coach, called his former stu- dent "a once-in-a-lifetime young man." More recently, Irish football head coach Brian Kelly described his soph- omore tight end as a "very unique and mature young man … You don't find many like him." Notre Dame head baseball coach Mik Aoki echoed Kelly's sentiments, sharing this about his flame-throwing lefty relief pitcher: "You spend two or three minutes with Cole and you can tell what kind of great person he is. He's mature, but he's also a lot of fun to be around." His high school coach noted several traits that help make Kmet special. "His drive for excellence, and his drive to make people better," said Manno. "I can tell you that he's made me a better coach and a better person just being around him." Kmet is the latest in a growing list of two-sport athletes at Notre Dame who have embraced the challenges of balancing baseball with another sport. Aoki has coached three such dual- sport prodigies in the last four years. Former Irish wideout Torii Hunter Jr., who played football and baseball here from 2013-16, recently finished his second minor league season in the Los Angeles Angels organization. Irish two-sport standout Pat Con- naughton played basketball and baseball here from 2011-15 and ended up drafted professionally in both sports: by the Baltimore Orioles as a Major League Baseball pitching prospect, and by the Portland Trail Blazers as an NBA shooting guard. Connaughton, now with the Mil- waukee Bucks, has not ruled out turning to professional baseball once his NBA career is over. "I've never been one to not keep all of my career options open," Con- naughton explained. And now there's Kmet. The 6-5, 258-pounder made 26 pitching appear- ances as a freshman last season and recorded eight saves to lead the Irish. In two football seasons, Kmet has appeared in all but two games and has become entrenched as a rota- tion regular in a deep stable of Notre Dame tight ends. Aoki said the common thread shared by this trio of standouts is as unmistak- able as it is essential. These part-time baseball players often supplanted the full-time guys in the lineup, and then moved down the road after the game to join their other team. "All three of these guys added the dimension of really high character, great team players, great people," Aoki explained. "That makes the whole pro- cess incredibly easy for them. "There are never any bruised egos because they are all such great guys and great teammates." Juggling baseball and football creates an especially tricky balance through March and April when the baseball regular season overlaps with the football spring practices. "You have so many different balls in the air with the two-sport aspect," shared Evan Sharpley, a former Irish quarterback/infielder in the mid-2000s who spent a couple of minor league seasons with the Seattle Mariners. "Between practice, workouts, strength training, and then you add everything on the academic side, the greatest challenge is the time management." A typical day in the life for Kmet in the spring began at about 5:30 a.m. for football workouts, then off to class, then a quick bite to eat before heading to the baseball facility. "The spring was tough," Kmet ad- mitted, recalling that finding time to eat in order to keep his weight up was another daily challenge. "I was still learning, and I had no idea how it was going to work. "I put it on myself to make sure that I was in control of the situation. It's definitely a learning process, but it is something you get accustomed to." Kmet accelerated his acclimation after a conversation with arguably the most successful two-sport athlete ever to move through Notre Dame, at least in terms of on-field success as a college player and financial rewards as a professional athlete. Jeff Samardzija was a standout starting pitcher and a two-time All-American wide receiver for the Irish in 2005-06. Samardzija recently completed his 11th season as a Ma- jor League Baseball pitcher and has banked approximately $200 million during his time in the big leagues. Shortly before Kmet arrived at Notre Dame — and when his dream to play both sports was still moving from possibility to reality — he tracked down Sa- mardzija for some advice on time management. "He told me it will seem chaotic at first, but once you get into the routine of things, it will just kind of flow. That turned out to be really true," said Kmet, who not only excels in his two sports but also carries a 3.6 GPA as a political science major. Even after a high ankle sprain in September, Kmet returned well ahead of schedule. That's not normal — but that's how he rolls. Aoki explained it's Kmet's combi- nation of poise and maturity that have this future pro athlete well-equipped to handle everything school and sports throw at him in college. "So many kids at Notre Dame get wrapped up in, 'Oh my, I have so much to do.' Cole doesn't look it at like that," Aoki explained. "This is his reality. This is his every day. "He welcomes the challenges be- cause this is what he wants to do." ✦ DOUBLE DUTY Sophomore Cole Kmet has excelled on the baseball diamond and the gridiron for the Irish After making 26 appearances for the Irish base- ball team in the spring, Kmet saw action in four of Notre Dame's first six games this season and notched six receptions for 54 yards. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL