Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 AUGUST 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Rees' abrupt departure came late in the football calendar year and only about six weeks before spring ball, leav- ing Irish head coach Marcus Freeman a tight hiring window to find a new of- fensive coordinator. Notre Dame tight ends coach Gerad Parker was eventually promoted as Rees' replacement. The relocation came unexpectedly but Rees explained that working under Ala- bama head coach Nick Saban at a premier football power was his best career course and too good of an opportunity to pass up. "I have the utmost respect for what Coach Saban has built at Alabama and the tradition of the program," Rees said. "I'm excited to have this opportunity." END OF AN ERA Speculation met reality in January when veteran Notre Dame men's head basketball coach Mike Brey announced his plans to "step away" from the pro- gram following the 2022-23 season after 23 years on the job. "It has been a great run for me and our program over the past two decades," the all-time winningest Irish men's basket- ball coach said in a statement. "But it is time for a new voice to lead this group into the future." Brey, 64, guided his Irish to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, with two Elite Eights. Notre Dame also won the ACC Tournament in 2015, an accom- plishment Brey called his most memo- rable as a head coach. He finished his coaching career at Notre Dame 483-280. But diminishing returns — just one NCAA Tournament appearance during his final six seasons — expedited a change in leadership. Brey took over a Notre Dame program in 2000 that hadn't made an appearance in the Big Dance in 10 seasons and quickly changed the course and perception of his team for more than two decades, earning National Coach of the Year honors in 2011. 'GOT OUR MAN' Swarbrick was visibly thrilled March 30 when he introduced Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State as Brey's replacement. "During our two-month process," Swarbrick said, "we weekly reviewed our candidate pool and each week [Shrews- berry] stayed at the top of our list due to his fit at the university and his commit- ment to the student-athlete experience." Shrewsberry was the architect of an historic turnaround at Penn State. After a 14-17 first season in 2021-22, the Indi- ana native produced a 23-14 record and advanced to the NCAA second round in 2022-23. It marked only the 12th 20- win season for the Nittany Lions in the program's 127-year history. As a former assistant coach at But- ler and the Boston Celtics under head 2022-23 Male Athletes Of The Year 1. Michael Mayer (football) — The Irish junior became the indisputable valedictorian of "Tight End U" in 2022 when he capped off his terrific three-year career by setting every program career receiving record at his position. Despite facing double and triple teams much of last season, Mayer still easily led the Irish with 101 targets, 67 catches, 809 receiving yards and 9 touchdown grabs. For his career, Mayer set program records with 180 catches, 2,099 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, and became the second-round draft pick (35th overall) of the Las Vegas Raiders last April. 2. Pat Kavanagh (lacrosse) — The face of the program and the foundation to a first-ever lacrosse national championship for Notre Dame, the senior attackman easily led the Irish with 52 assists and added 25 goals for a team-best and a program-record 77 points during his magical season. Kavanagh's 52 assists were also a single-season program record and he finished second in the country with 3.25 assists per game. The individual honors are too many to list but Kavanagh was named a first-team All-American by several media outlets and was also a finalist for the 2023 Tewaaraton Award, which goes to the nation's best player. 3. Luke Linder (fencing) — The Irish sabre specialist claimed an individual title at the NCAA Champion - ships in March, which helped catapult Notre Dame to its record 13th overall team title. It marked his second in dividual championship in the event. For his effort, the Notre Dame junior earned first-team All-America accolades and first-team All-ACC honors. He was also named the ACC Fencing Championships MVP and was tabbed as league's Fencer of the Year in the men's sabre. Linder posted a 25-9 record this season to improve his career mark to 62-15 for an .805 winning percentage. 4. Zack Prajzner (baseball) — The Irish graduate student shortstop started all 54 games and led the team in several offensive categories, including batting average (.306), hits (64), doubles (16) and total bases (103), while adding 7 home runs and 32 RBI. A gifted fielder, the steady defender committed only 7 errors in 210 attempts for a .968 fielding percent - age. Prajzner, a finance major, also earned All-ACC academic honors in June for the second straight year. A mod el of durability, Prajzner ended his Notre Dame career with a string of 191 consecutive starts. 5. Palmer Jackson (golf) — The two-time Irish All-American capped his outstanding career by becoming one of the five finalists for the 2023 Byron Nelson Award, which honors the nation's top scholar-athlete in his sport. Jackson, a three-time PING All-Midwest Region honoree, led the ACC and set a Notre Dame program record last season with a 70.50 scoring average to earn one of the 12 coveted spots on Team USA for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup, the amateur version of the PGA's Ryder Cup. Jackson's outstanding senior season also brought him All-America honors from both PING and Golfweek magazine. — Todd D. Burlage Junior tight end Michael Mayer led Notre Dame with 101 targets, 67 receptions, 809 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches en route to consensus All-America honors. PHOTO BY DAVID BECKER