Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/259072
Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock was a major reason be- hind Luatua's pledge to Notre Dame. While other schools seemed to cool on the four-star prospect, Denbrock made Luatua and his family a top priority. "Coach Denbrock always told me that I would have the best future if I went to Notre Dame, and it always seemed like he was being honest with me," Luatua said. "He kept telling me that I need to take a chance on him and let him turn me into an NFL tight end, and he said to trust him. "I ended up picking Notre Dame and my family was really happy for me. They didn't push me anywhere, but they said that they hoped I would pick Notre Dame. They really liked Coach Denbrock and they always felt like he was the most real and honest coach that recruited me." Luatua's numbers at tight end dipped down from his strong sopho- more and junior seasons, but La Mi- rada head football coach Mike Mos- chetti said that there should be no cause for concern from Irish fans. He believes Notre Dame's peerless tradi- tion at tight end will continue. FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Luatua is a prototypical tight end with a big body, good size and tremendous strength … Has the athleticism to split out wide or even motion into the backfield … Displays very soft hands and rarely drops a pass … Will be an asset in goal line situations … Aggressive player that tends to play with an attitude … Punishes defenders in the open field. Areas To Improve Was a standout during his sophomore season, fell off a little during his junior year and seemed to dip a little in his senior campaign … While it raises some red flags, the constant double- teams contributed to the drop-off … Motivation could be a concern, but if focused, he has all of the tools to become an elite tight end at Notre Dame.