Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1092184
24 APRIL 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TIGHT ENDS 2019 SPRING FOOTBALL OVERVIEW T ight end production was automatically assumed during the first four years of Brian Kelly's tenure in South Bend. Dur- ing that stretch the Irish tight ends averaged 56 receptions, 751.5 receiving yards and 5.8 touchdowns per season. Beginning in 2014 the production began to nosedive, bottoming out in 2016 when the tight ends snared a combined 12 passes for 159 yards and four touchdowns. The hiring of Chip Long has boosted the tight end production, and the unit combined for 56 catches, 544 receiving yards and six touch- downs last season. Despite the loss of Alizé Mack, the position is poised to make even more strides in 2019. Junior Cole Kmet showed progress in year two while starting seven games in a double-tight-end alignment, and now he has assumed the leading role. He is a top- notch athlete that is expected to see a major jump in production next fall. This is a big spring for fellow junior Brock Wright. A top-50 recruit coming out of Texas in the 2017 class, he has been nothing more than a short-yardage player that has just two career catches (one for a touchdown) in two seasons. If Wright can tap into the potential he demonstrated as a prep player, the combination of he and Kmet could help Notre Dame have its most productive season since All-Ameri- can Tyler Eifert was dominating the position from 2010-12. Sophomore Tommy Tremble brings wide receiver speed and playmaking ability to the position, while classmate George Takacs — a medical redshirt last season — provides a strong 6-6, 255-pound presence, practically identical to the 6-5½, 255-pound Kmet. BY THE NUMBERS 3 Different tight ends caught touchdown passes for Notre Dame last season — Alizé Mack (three), Nic Weishar (two) and Wright (one) — which was the second time that ever occurred in school history. The first was a year earlier in 2017 when Mack, Weishar and Durham Smythe each snared at least one. 56 Receptions hauled in by Fighting Irish tight ends in 2018 that totaled 544 yards and six scores. It was the most catches by the position group in a campaign since another 12-1 finish in 2012 that had 58. The school record is 66 in 2011 — with 63 of them by Tyler Eifert. 2003 Was the most recent season in which the starting tight end for Notre Dame, at least on opening day, was not drafted by the NFL. Since then, it's been Anthony Fasano (2004-05), John Carlson (2006-07) and Kyle Rudolph (2008-10) each in the second round, Eifert (2011-12) in the first round, Troy Niklas (2013) in the second again, Ben Koyack (2014) in the seventh, Smythe (2015-17) in the fourth … and hopefully the tradition continues this spring with Mack. WHO'S GONE Alizé Mack The Las Vegas native had a qual- ity output in 2018, hauling in 36 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs. WHO'S BACK Junior Cole Kmet The rare two-sport talent caught 15 passes for 162 yards as a sopho- more and is poised to take over the position in 2019. Junior Brock Wright A highly rated recruit coming out of Texas, he has yet to crack the rotation on a regular basis while playing mainly in goal- line situations. Returning Returning Year-End Year Starts Yards/TD Yards/TD 2018 15 476/3 544/6 2019 8 188/1 — Brian Kelly's Take "This is the last weekend he'll miss [Cole Kmet missed the first spring practice March 2 while earning National Player of the Week honors in baseball]. In practice one where we weren't doing a whole lot — we didn't want him to miss the contact scrimmages, so working with baseball we felt like this would be the one to give up." POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH Junior Cole Kmet displayed flashes of big-time ability as the No. 2 tight end last fall, and he enters the spring as the starter. That is virtually certain, but who wins the second and third spots in an offense that liberally uses multiple tight end align- ments is a question still remaining. Fellow junior Brock Wright will get first crack at the No. 2 spot. After dropping 10 pounds this offseason to enhance his mobility, the native Texan is primed to secure a permanent spot in the rotation. Sophomore Tommy Tremble will look to use his speed and pass-catching skills to force his way onto the field in 2019. COLE KMET PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL