Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W BY JACK SOBLE A fter Michael Mayer departed for the NFL Draft, many worried Notre Dame would experience a steep drop-off at the tight end position. Someone forgot to tell Mitchell Evans, though. Evans went ballistic when he was healthy, catching at least 4 passes for 60 yards in five of the eight games he played. He peaked with a 6-reception, 134-yard perfor- mance against Duke Sept. 30, making a couple circus grabs with his 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame and even using his athleti- cism to create yards after the catch. The Wadsworth, Ohio, native looked every bit like the massive, sturdy, reliable tight end that Notre Dame fans are used to seeing. Unfortunately for Evans and the Irish, his season ended early due to a torn ACL against Pittsburgh Oct. 28. Given the standard recovery time for that injury, the senior should be good to go by August but won't be able to do much in spring ball. That leaves the door open for junior Eli Rari- don and sophomore Cooper Flanagan, who started the Sun Bowl with Evans out and Holden Staes in the transfer portal (he's now at Tennessee) to show what they can do in March and April. Both impressed the coaching staff as run blockers and flashed high upside as pass catchers when they played in 2023. Add in graduate student Kevin Bauman — also coming off a torn ACL, his second in as many seasons, but an experienced player nonetheless — versatile former walk-on senior Davis Sherwood and freshman Jack Larsen and all of a sudden, new offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Den- brock has several options to work with. None of them will overtake Evans when he comes back, but spring ball should let the Irish know who can provide depth right away and start in the coming seasons. TIGHT ENDS PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock (first season back, 11th overall at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: Sr. Mitchell Evans (15 career starts) Departing Starters: Holden Staes (9) Projected New Starters: None Top Reserves: Jr. Eli Raridon, So. Cooper Flanagan, Sr. Davis Sherwood, Gr. Kevin Bauman Newcomers: Fr. Jack Larsen POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH WHO'S NO. 2? Junior Eli Raridon is certainly the favorite, but sophomore COOPER FLANAGAN looked good enough when he played to garner serious consid- eration. And by all accounts, graduate student Kevin Bauman would have been right there if he had stayed healthy in 2023. Notre Dame should have a pretty good idea who its 12 personnel starter opposite Evans will be by the end of spring camp. NUMBERS TO KNOW 43 Percent of the passing game was accounted for by Mitchell Evans during last season's three-game stretch against Ohio State, Duke and Louisville. It got to a point where Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman was just staring down Evans every time he dropped back, although the Irish wouldn't have beaten the Blue Devils without him. 56 Games played on offense by Notre Dame freshman tight ends since 2020, when Bauman and Michael Mayer entered the program. If history is any indication, Jack Larsen will have a fair shot to see the field early. At 6-3, 240, he doesn't fit the typical size mold of the prototypical Irish tight end, but he profiles as a versatile weapon who can find reps at different spots. 380 Snaps out of 12, 13 or 14 personnel in 2023, according to Sports Info Solutions. The Irish ran 827 offensive snaps total, so they used multiple tight ends 45.9 percent of the time. That number will go down, new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said, with Notre Dame becoming more of a speed-and-space team. ALL EYES ON … JUNIOR ELI RARIDON Notre Dame has long believed Raridon can be its next star at tight end, given his combination of size and athleticism. Two ACL tears in less than a year delayed that trajectory, but we saw glimpses of Raridon's potential once he got healthy toward the end of 2023. With Evans presumably out until fall camp, he'll get the first crack at first-team reps in spring ball. Junior Eli Raridon started the final three games in 2023 and finished the season with 5 receptions for 51 yards and 1 touchdown. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER