Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540095
52 OCT. 11, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE T wo former Irish tight ends validated Notre Dame's billing as "Tight End U" in Week 4 of the NFL campaign when a seasoned league veteran enjoyed his best game of the 2025 season, and a league rookie made his coming out party, both with the same team. Splitting time at tight end with the Carolina Panthers, 2021 third-round draft pick Tommy Tremble and 2025 fifth-round draft pick Mitchell Evans both recorded their first touchdown receptions of the season in a disap- pointing 42-13 loss to the New England Patriots Sept. 28. Tremble finished the game with a season-high 5 catches and 42 yards, to go along with his touch- down grab. Tremble's 7-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Bryce Young came early in the first quarter and provided Carolina an early 6-0 lead (the point- after try was missed), an advantage that didn't hold up long in the Patriots' lop- sided win. Most Panthers' analysts considered Tremble the best player on field for Carolina in the bad loss — not exactly high praise. The reliable run-blocking pass-catching tight end didn't mince words and challenged his teammates to be better after the loss. "In the NFL, everyone has to be on their stuff. Everybody out there is a pro- fessional," Tremble said. "And if we're not doing this to the highest level, you can't get the result you want. And I think that's what happened today. We just got to be better at it." In four-plus seasons with the Pan- thers, Tremble, a Johns Creek, Ga., na- tive, had 96 receptions for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns through Sept. 28. For the rookie Evans, his 2-yard touchdown catch in the back-right cor- ner of the end zone came from backup quarterback Andy Dalton late in the fourth quarter. It capped the game's scoring — and stopped the bleeding — after the Patriots had reeled off 42 straight points in the blowout win. It was a bittersweet coming out party for Evans, who finished the game with a career-high 3 receptions and 23 yards (7.7 yards per catch), with a long of 16 yards, and a memorable first scoring grab. After playing sparingly in Carolina's first three games, Evans' production so far this season doesn't exactly jump off the stat sheet (5 receptions, 6 targets, 41 yards, 1 touchdown). But some solid work as both a pass catcher and run blocker, even in limited snaps, had the Wadsworth, Ohio, native ranked No. 11 on the Pro Football Focus Top-15 rookie list after his Week 4 performance. Evans was also slotted third by PFF among all rookie tight ends with a 76.5 overall grade. ✦ FIGHTING IRISH HEADLINERS Benjamin Morrison (Played at Notre Dame from 2022-24), CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL Working mainly against three-time All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, the NFL rookie Morrison held his own in pass coverage and allowed only 1 reception on 4 targets in a 31-25 loss to the reigning Super Bowl champions Sept. 28. Morrison also recorded 3 tackles in the game and registered the first pass broken up of his young NFL career. The 2025 second-round draft pick and Phoenix native made 5 total tackles in his first three career games, all solo. Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Kansas City Chiefs, NFL In a critical 37-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens Sept. 28, the Fort Wayne, Ind., native made a season-high 7 tackles and recovered a fumble to move the Chiefs to 2-2 and drop the Ravens to 1-3. The former Irish team captain and 2019 fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Chargers has been steady but not spectacular so far for Kansas City this season, recording 24 tackles, 2 sacks, 3.5 "stuffs" (tackles in the run game that result in a loss or no gain), and 1 fumble recovery in four games. Xavier Watts (2020-24), S, Atlanta Falcons, NFL Beginning to hit his stride as a rookie starter for the Falcons, Watts compiled 6 tack- les and an interception in a 34-27 win on Sept. 28, over the Washington Commanders. A surprising late third-round draft pick in the spring, the Minneapolis native is prov- ing the doubters wrong and already had 23 tackles — 15 coming in his previous two games — with 4 passes defended and 2 interceptions in his first four NFL appearances. Watts averaged 1 interception every 2.2 games while at Notre Dame. And in a very small sample, the two-time Irish All-American averaged an interception every two games during his first four outings in Atlanta. Former Notre Dame Tight Ends Are Making Their Mark In Carolina I R I S H I N T H E P R O S Tight end Tommy Tremble posted a season-high 5 catches and 42 yards, with a touchdown grab, in Carolina's 42-13 loss to New England Sept. 28. PHOTO COURTESY CAROLINA PANTHERS