Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1264448
TIGHT ENDS BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 69 POSITION COACH John McNulty is entering his first season as the tight ends coach at Notre Dame and his 30th in football. After a playing career as a walk- on safety at Penn State (1988-90), McNulty has spent his entire ca- reer on the offensive side of the football. He has 14 years of col- legiate experience, beginning his career as a graduate assistant at Michigan from 1991-94 before serving as the wide receivers coach at Connecticut from 1995-97. He also had two separate stints at Rutgers, serving as the wide receivers mentor from 2004-05, the as- sistant offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2006, and the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2007-08 and 2018. Under McNulty's guidance, the Scarlet Knights had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in school his- tory in 2007, becoming the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision history with a 3,000-yard passer (Mike Teal), 2,000-yard rusher (Ray Rice) and a pair of 1,000- yard receivers (Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood). In 2019, he worked as an analyst at his alma mater, helping the Nittany Lions to an 11-2 record that was capped by a victory over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. McNulty also has 15 years of experience in the NFL, including time spent under legendary coaches Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin. He started as the of- fensive quality control coach under Coughlin for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1998-99 before handling the team's wide receivers from 2000-02. He then served as Parcells' wide receivers coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. He also mentored wide receivers for the Arizona Cardinals from 2009-11, most notably working with perennial All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald. He then coached quarterbacks for the Cardinals in 2012 before han- dling the same role for Tennessee Titans in 2014-15, where he worked with former Heisman Trophy win- ner Marcus Mariota. In 2016-17, McNulty was the tight ends coach for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. During his time with the Bolts, he worked with future Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates. In two seasons with McNulty — the second of which Gates was 37 years old — the veteran tight end notched 83 receptions for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns. RETURNING PLAYERS GEORGE TAKACS • TE Jr. • Naples, Fla. Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 245 • Saw action in six games in 2019, and caught a pair of passes for 12 yards and a touchdown. • Scored first career touchdown on a two-yard reception at Duke. • Did not play during the 2018 season. • Tabbed as a first-team 6A All-District performer by the Florida Athletic Coaches Association in 2016. • Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. • Rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 50 player in Florida and the No. 11 tight end in the nation by Rivals. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2019 6-0 2 12 6.0 1 TOMMY TREMBLE • TE Jr. • Johns Creek, Ga. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 233 • Played in all 13 games with seven starts in 2019, and ranked fourth on the team with 16 catches for 183 yards and four touchdowns. • Earned the game ball at Louisville after making three receptions for 49 yards and a score. • Made a season-high four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown against Bowling Green. • Did not play during the 2018 campaign. • Missed most of his high school senior season due to an ankle injury, but caught 15 passes for 298 yards (19.9 yards per reception) and two touch- downs as a junior. • Ranked by Rivals as a three-star recruit, the No. 50 player in Georgia and the No. 20 tight end in the country. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2019 13-7 16 183 11.4 4 BROCK WRIGHT • TE Sr. • Cypress, Texas Ht.: 6-4½ • Wt.: 250 • Saw action in all 13 games with three starts in 2019, and made a pair of catches for 45 yards. • Contributed on special teams all season, including kickoff re- turn, punt coverage and field goal units. • Had a 40-yard reception in win over Bowling Green. • Played in every game during his sophomore sea- son at Notre Dame, seeing action at tight end, fullback and on special teams. • Caught two passes for 12 yards in 2018, including a fourth-and-one touchdown out of the backfield at Wake Forest. • Played in 11 games as a true freshman and pri- marily served as a blocker. • As a senior, hauled in 30 receptions for 491 yards and four scores. • Named first-team All-Texas by USA Today. • Participated in the 2016 Under Armour All-Amer- ican Game and led Team Highlight with 45 receiv- ing yards. • Ranked by Rivals as a four-star prospect, the No. 5 player in Texas, and the No. 1 tight end and No. 44 overall recruit on the nation. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2017 11-0 0 0 0.0 0 2018 13-0 2 12 6.0 1 2019 13-3 2 45 22.5 0 Totals 37-3 4 57 14.3 1 NEWCOMERS KEVIN BAUMAN • TE Red Bank, N.J. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 226 • Hauled in 50 receptions for 938 yards and 13 touchdowns during his career at Red Bank Catho- lic High School. • Caught 15 passes for 251 yards and three touch- downs during his senior year. Also notched 63 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks on defense. • Helped Red Bank Catholic win the Non-Public Group 3 state title in 2018. • Selected as a New Jersey Mini Max Award re- cipient from the Maxwell Football Club, which recognizes athletics achievement, academics and community service. • Tabbed as a finalist for the 2019 Maxwell New Jersey Player of the Year, a 2019 USA Today All- New Jersey first-team offense and 2019 NJ.com first-team All-State selection, and three-time first-team All-Shore selection (2017-19). • Selected for the 2020 Polynesian Bowl Jan. 18 in Hawai'i and caught four passes for 38 yards. • Rated as a four-star talent, the No. 3 prospect in New Jersey, and the No. 5 tight end and No. 129 overall player in the country by Rivals. MICHAEL MAYER • TE Independence, Ky. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 234 • Helped Covington Catholic High School to a Ken- tucky 5A state championship in 2019 and was named the MVP of the title game. • Recorded 49 receptions for 970 yards and 15 touchdowns, plus had two rushing scores, as a senior. Defensively, he posted 102.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. • Named the 2019 Kentucky Football Coaches As- sociation Mr. Football and the 2019 Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year. • Earned MaxPreps All-America second-team offense, USA TODAY All-USA second-team offense, MaxPreps Kentucky All-State Football Team, and Courier Jour- nal All-State Football Team accolades in 2019. • Caught one pass for 39 yards and a touchdown in the All-American Bowl Jan. 4 in San Antonio. • Rivals listed him as a four-star recruit, the No. 1 player in Kentucky, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 36 overall prospect nationally. First-year tight ends coach John McNulty enters his 30th season of coaching, half of them in the NFL. During that time, he has also coached quarterbacks and wide receivers plus coordinated offenses. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER