Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A second-team all-state pick by the Chicago Tribune as a sophomore with 77 receptions, 13 of which went for touch- downs, Weishar wasn't going to let a ligament tear stifle his progress as a ju- nior, when he upped his catch total to 89. The physical threshold of pain also was dwarfed that same season with the mental anguish of seeing his 22-year-old brother, Andrew, a former three-sport star in high school and a football player at Illinois Wesleyan, pass away on the eve of a football game after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer. Less than 24 hours after Andrew's death, Weishar caught 13 passes in a performance dedicated to his brother, just like everything else in his daily life thereafter. "I thought about whether I wanted to play or not," Weishar said. "I knew that Andrew would be pretty upset if I didn't play. I dedicate every game to Andrew. He was my biggest critic when he was around. I could have the best game of my life, and he'd always point out things that I can get better on. He's the best coach I ever had. … I just can't FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Weishar is one of the nation's most athletic tight ends … Ideal height at the tight end posi- tion … Very good hands … Tough, physical player that fights for extra yards … Strong upper body and rarely goes down on first contact … Very impressive footwork and gets in and out of his breaks clean … Above average speed for a tight end and is a very difficult matchup for most linebackers. Areas For Improvement Needs to add weight to his frame … Will be something special in time, but would ben- efit from a redshirt year to bulk up … A willing blocker, but needs to work on overall technique … Can play too tall at times and needs to work on keeping his pad level lower, especially when blocking.