Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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TIGHT ENDS IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS No single position group at Notre Dame in 2015 has been more of a com- mittee than tight end. The graduation of Ben Koyack, who is now with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad, and losing junior Durham Smythe Sept. 12 to a season-ending injury has resulted in constant rotation among four players — three of whom didn't see any action at tight end for the Irish last season. During the 6-1 start, sopho- more Nic Weishar, who was red- shirted last season, had the most snaps with 174, followed by freshman Alizé Jones' 121. Soph- omore Tyler Luatua has battled back from a concussion to re- cord 113 snaps, while fifth-year senior and converted defensive lineman Chase Hounshell has added 66, primarily as a blocker. In about another year or so, Notre Dame's tight end corps will once again rank among the nation's best. For now, it is in a developmen- tal phase under tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Scott Booker, with some off-the-field help from offensive analyst Jeff Quinn, a longtime Brian Kelly assistant who was the head coach at Buffalo from 2010-14. Blocking, specifically, is the main work in progress. "We put them in some very pronounced positions on the edge of our of- fense, and so they have to make big-time plays for us," Kelly said. "They are not inside cut-off players for us. "They have got to capture the perimeter for us, so it's a little bit different in our offense. They are high-profile position players for us. And they are get- ting better each and every week, but there's some inexperience in that group." Notre Dame's running game under Kelly has been at its best with two- tight-end looks. This year, despite the inexperience at tight end, the running game has thrived because it's compensated with a strong line, good down- field blocking by the receiving corps — and above all, a breakaway back in senior C.J. Prosise. "He's been the difference in that he's turned eight-, 10-yard runs into 50- or 60-yard runs," Kelly said of Prosise. — Lou Somogyi UNDER THE DOME With starter Durham Smythe out for the season due to injury, sophomore Nic Weishar (No. 82) is one of four players splitting time at tight end in 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA