Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1081575
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2019 31 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE every time we looked at him, he just got better. He's smart, he can cover a ton of ground and he's not afraid to play against the run. He reads the quarterback very, very well. The sec- ond a quarterback commits to one side of the field, he's there. "He has good ball skills as well. I think he's going to be a big-time leader on that defense." BGI: Who was the biggest miss for Notre Dame in the class of 2019? Lemming: "I would say any run- ning back or wide receiver they had a shot at. They were desperate for a five-star type of running back and wide receiver, and they came up short again. "Their new running back coach could really help out. He was suc- cessful at Stanford, so if he could re- peat that then Notre Dame may not have to worry about running back." Farrell: "Not a player, but the run- ning back position. It would have been nice to have a pure running back. I don't see anybody who really wows me. "As far as that's concerned, when you're talking about kids who were supposed to go to Notre Dame, no- body really sticks out to me as a huge loss." BGI: What are your thoughts on the four 2020 prospects — quarter- back Drew Pyne, defensive end Al- exander Ehrensberger, and tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman — that have already committed to Notre Dame? Lemming: "Ehrensberger is the only one I haven't seen because I haven't made it out to Germany. I trust Mike Elston with that one. He is an excellent recruiter. He knows his reputation is on the line with every guy he signs, so I trust his ability to coach and recruit. The kid has to be pretty good. Have to give Elston a lot of credit for the hard work on that one to go out there. "Drew Pyne isn't real big, but he is a precision passer. He's Joe Theis- mann-like coming out of high school. He's thin, but he can really throw the ball. He has command with a lot of confidence. I really like his ability. If they can get his cousin, offensive lineman Kevin Pyne (who committed to Boston College), they would have an outstanding left tackle prospect. "Michael Mayer has Tyler Eifert type of ability. He is a big kid with great hands and he had a knockout junior year. He caught a lot of passes compared to his sophomore year. Be- tween him and Kevin Bauman, he has the most ability right now. He could be a big-time standout. Notre Dame is sort of Tight End U with a great reputation there. I think Mayer is going to be a star. "Bauman doesn't catch as many passes, but I like his overall athletic ability. Both are big-time guys. "They are off to a great start, but they will need to add some skill like a great running back and wide re- ceiver. That should be the priority." Farrell: "It's a good start. Drew Pyne is a guy that is small, but he's got a live arm and he can move around, so I don't think size is as big an issue at quarterback as it used to be. They have two very good tight ends that can stretch the field. "Alexander Ehrensberger, the kid from Germany, who knows? Those kids rarely pan out, but he's so long. If he gets stronger and adjusts to the speed of college football, he could be a freak. The biggest problem is that they just don't translate well to college football very often. There are very few of them who have done well. "But it's a good start for 2020, no doubt." ✦ Recruiting veteran Tom Lemming compared Notre Dame tight end commit Michael Mayer of Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Catholic to former Irish standout Tyler Eifert. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL