Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 67 TIGHT ENDS NOTABLE DATA Cole Kmet, the No. 43 overall pick of the Chicago Bears in April, extended Notre Dame's streak of opening-day tight end starters who became draft picks to 16 seasons. The full list: Anthony Fasano (2004-05), John Carlson (2006-07) and Kyle Rudolph (2008-10) were all second-round picks; Tyler Eifert (2011-12) was a first-rounder; Troy Niklas (2013) went in the second round; Durham Smythe (2015-17) in the fourth; and Ben Koyack (2014) and Alizé Jones (2018) were seventh-round selections. Eifert holds the school's positional record for yards in a season. He caught 63 passes for 803 yards in 2011, and won the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation's best tight end, in 2012. DID YOU KNOW? Since the turn of the century, both Miami from 2000-09 and Stanford from 2010-19 have received the Tight End U. moniker. That's because Miami had four first-round selections at the position in an eight-year stretch from 2000-07, while Stanford's seven tight end picks from 2010-19 topped Notre Dame's six. Yet for overall consistency that spans more than 50 years, no one rivals Notre Dame. All told since the NFL-AFL merger in the late 1960s, the Fighting Irish have had 23 tight ends drafted since 1969, 11 of them in the first or second round. From the 1970s through 2010s, Notre Dame had a minimum of two first- or second-round tight ends line up for them in each decade, beginning with College Football Hall of Famers Dave Casper and Ken MacAfee in the 1970s, and through Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Eifert and Troy Niklas in the 2010s. That is not even including people such as future All-Pro and fourth-round pick Mark Bavaro in 1985. SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (5) Listed after the class year is the years of eligi- bility remaining. 24 Tommy Tremble (6-3, 233), Jr./3 89 Brock Wright (6-4½, 250), Sr./1 85 George Takacs (6-6, 245), Jr./3 — Kevin Bauman (6-4, 226), Fr./4 — Michael Mayer (6-5, 234), Fr./4 2019 VS. 2020: STOCK UP OR DOWN? Notre Dame has had no trouble replacing a draft pick with another eventual draft pick, and Cole Kmet's replacements have some appealing NFL traits. Even without him, it's hard to deem the tight ends' stock down considering the program's ability to reload there each season and who it signed this year. Tommy Tremble is Notre Dame's leading returning receiver, with 16 catches last year. He is joined by freshman Michael Mayer, the No. 3 tight end and No. 36 overall player in the class of 2020 per Rivals. Four‑star recruit Kevin Bauman comes alongside him. For a room with 22 career catches, there's a lot to like. Notre Dame loves two‑tight‑ end sets. Tremble was the second tight end a year ago and started the two games Kmet missed due to in‑ jury. Kmet had 15 catches and seven starts the year before his breakout. The second tight end should be a relevant part of the offense again. X-FACTOR Tremble figures to be involved one way or another, but Notre Dame will have a few candidates to work alongside him. Mayer pres‑ ents the most upside and already looks like a college player. He is a typical in‑line tight end with size already fit for the position and advanced receiving skills. The fit in Kmet's role is clear and he would complement Tremble, who has top‑end speed for the position and proj‑ ects as more of a movable piece who can play in the slot, more like 2019 draft pick Alizé Mack. Wright is entering his fourth year on campus and was a top‑50 recruit like Mayer, but is a blocker first. Notre Dame is in good shape at tight end, including junior George Takacs, a former four‑star figure, but the sooner Mayer can get on the field, the higher the ceiling for the position in 2020. FRESHMAN OUTLOOK Mayer is the highest‑ranked tight end Notre Dame has signed since Kyle Rudolph (No. 20 over‑ all nationally according to Rivals) in 2008, and there is an opportunity for him to take on a prominent role right away. Rudolph caught 29 passes as a freshman. With Notre Dame's lack of proven receivers, tight ends could be even more of a frequent target for Ian Book. Bauman was the second player in Notre Dame's 2020 class to commit. His road to playing time appears blocked right now, but he is a sure‑handed target who has plenty of strength. At No. 36 overall nationally according to Rivals, Michael Mayer is the highest-ranked tight end the Fighting Irish have signed since Kyle Rudolph (No. 20) in 2008. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM