Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 OCT. 7, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Moving? Let us know! Call 1-800-421-7751 Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Richard Ciamarra — Tennis The junior from Southington, Conn., ad- vanced to the finals in the Milwaukee Tennis Clas- sic Sept. 23. He faced off against USC's Mor Bulis and eventually succumbed to the Trojan freshman from Israel. Ciamarra defeated Cal's Jack Malloy 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. He then advanced to the finals after best- ing Arizona State's Tim Reuhl 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinal match. Dylan Jacobs — Cross Country The sophomore from Orland Park, Ill., made quite a splash in his colle- giate cross country debut in the National Catholic In- vitational hosted by Notre Dame Sept. 20. He paced the field with a time of 25:08.94 over the five-mile course. Jacobs' effort helped lead the No. 10 Irish to the team title. Notre Dame finished in the top five spots. AnnaSophia Keller — Cross Country The junior from Effingham, Ill., helped the No. 12 Notre Dame cross country team to its 13th straight National Cath- olic Invitational champion- ship Sept. 20. She crossed the finish line in a time of 17:35.14, which netted her a second overall finish in a crowded women's field. Keller's time was only 24 seconds behind teammate Maddy Denner. The Irish placed five women in the top seven positions. Maeve Koscielski — Tennis The sophomore from Indianapolis picked up three singles victories and later added two doubles wins at the Auburn Invitational Sept. 19-20. She defeated opponents from Ole Miss (6-3, 6-4), Wisconsin (6-1, 6-0) and Penn State (7-6 (3), 6-1). Koscielski then teamed up with Kansas' Vasiliki Karvouni in doubles to defeat a duo from Wisconsin as well as a tandem from Ole Miss. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE Since 1974 with Dave Casper, Notre Dame has produced 10 first- or second-round selections at tight end (five apiece) — not even including All-Pro Mark Bavaro — among a dozen others who enjoyed careers in the NFL. Current junior Cole Kmet appears to be on a similar path. The game at No. 3-ranked Georgia Sept. 21 marked only the ninth time a Notre Dame tight end eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game when Kmet's nine receptions totaled 108 yards and featured his first career touchdown. The nine catches tied the single-game record by a Notre Dame tight end that was established by Ken MacAfee during the 31-24 victory at Purdue in 1977. The first to do it was George Kunz with 101 yards on seven catches in the 28-21 loss at Purdue in 1967, and before he shifted to tackle. Most of the previous Notre Dame tight ends who racked up at least 100 receiving yards in a game became first- or second-round selections. Here are the top five yardage figures in a game for Irish tight ends, with Kmet in seventh place. Player Opponent (Year)/Yards (Catches) 1. Kyle Rudolph Michigan (2010)/164 (eight) 2. Anthony Fasano Purdue (2004)/155 (eight) 3. Ken MacAfee Navy (1977)/130 (five) 4. John Carlson Michigan State (2006)/121 (four) 5t. Ken MacAfee Purdue (1977)/114 (nine) 5t. Mike Creaney Purdue (1972)/114 (three) Behind Kmet's 108 yards was future first-round pick Derek Brown with 101 (four catches) at Purdue in 1989 and Kunz with 101 at Purdue in 1967. CHARTING THE IRISH VALUABLE INFORMATION Before the start of every season, Forbes releases its list of the Top 25 Most Valuable College Football Programs. The ranking is determined based on each program's three-year revenue and profit average from 2016-18. This year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were No. 8 with an average of $120 million in revenue and $76 million in profit. The Irish are one spot lower than they were in 2018 and were the lone independent to make an appearance. Three 2019 Notre Dame op- ponents also made it. Michigan, which the Irish play Oct. 26, came in at No. 3. The Sept. 21 oppo- nent, Georgia, appeared one spot ahead of Notre Dame at No. 7. USC stayed in the same position it was in 2018 at No. 18. There are also two future op- ponents in the top 25. Arkansas — which Notre Dame hosts on Sept. 12, 2020 — was tied for No. 16 , while Wisconsin — which Notre Dame plays at Lambeau Field on Oct. 16, 2020 — was No. 23. Clemson, a team Notre Dame lost to in the College Football Play- off in 2018, made the list after being left off last year. The Tigers appear at No. 25. Getting To Know … SENIOR RIGHT GUARD TOMMY KRAEMER Hometown: Cincinnati High school: Elder Major: Management consulting Favorite food: "One of my most favorite foods is Skyline Chili." Favorite movie: "The Patriot" Favorite music: Country Favorite musician: Eric Church Favorite TV show: "The Office" Greatest football memory: "My greatest football memory has got to be beating USC at home in 2017, 49-14. We left no doubts that day." Who is your idol: "Without a doubt my idol has to be my dad." Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "There are so many things I love about playing for Notre Dame, but my fa- vorite part has got to be my teammates." Toughest player you've ever faced: "This is an easy question. October 2017 when we played NC State at home I had to face off with Bradley Chubb. He was the best player I ever faced in a game." FORBES' MOST VALUABLE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS Three-Year Three-Year Program Conference Revenue Avg. Profit Avg. 1. Texas A&M SEC $147M $94M 2. Texas Big 12 $147M $92M 3. Michigan Big Ten $139M $83M 4. Alabama SEC $134 $61M 5. Ohio State Big Ten $132 $75M 6. Oklahoma Big 12 $129M $81M 7. Georgia SEC $125M $74M 8. Notre Dame Independent $120M $76M 9. Florida SEC $117M $69M 10. Auburn SEC $117M $65M 16 Arkansas* SEC $95M $53M 18. USC Pac-12 $93M $52M 23. Wisconsin Big Ten $86M $48M 25. Clemson ACC $77M $27M * Denotes a tie with another program in the ranking