Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MATT JONES If not for an arm injury when he was a freshman in high school, Cole Kmet's No. 1 sport might still be baseball. The Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Via- tor standout has reached 92 miles per hour from the mound as a left-handed pitcher, going 11-1 with a 1.32 earned- run average as a junior. At the plate, the outfielder hit .362 with 11 home runs and 61 runs batted in, helping lead the Lions to the 3A state semifinals. Instead, the 6-4, 235-pound four- star football recruit is coming to Notre Dame as the nation's No. 3 tight end and No. 95 overall prospect in his class. "Who knows, maybe I'll still try to play baseball when I get there," Kmet said. "We'll see what happens." Kmet, of course, is no slouch on the football field. Rated as Notre Dame's second-best prospect by Rivals, Kmet was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January. He joins fellow four-star tight end prospect Brock Wright in attempting to carry on Notre Dame's storied tradition at the position. "The atmosphere is great. The aca- demics that they have to offer are obvi- ously a big deal in why I chose there," Kmet said. "The tradition of the foot- ball program is also awesome. "Being able to look back and see all the guys they put in the NFL and how they developed those guys, that was a factor in my decision." Kmet was pursued by all of the power programs in the Midwest, ul- timately choosing the Irish over Ohio State and Michigan State. The son of six-year NFL veteran Frank Kmet, Cole had trouble compar- ing his emotions on the football field and the baseball diamond. "I've had plenty of touchdowns, and I've had some big strikeouts," Kmet said. "They both almost have the same feeling to it. It's that excitement that you get — they're both really special. "I'm pretty much a toned down guy in general. In football when it starts building up I do get a little more emo- tional than I would in baseball, but I'm usually going to keep my cool. "That's because of baseball. But I can also be that rah-rah guy in baseball, too." Notre Dame fans hope Kmet has plenty to celebrate in his Irish career. ✦ COLE KMET TIGHT END 6-4 · 235 ST. VIATOR H.S. LAKE BARRINGTON, ILL. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 95 3 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 122 3 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 88 3 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 109 4 3 MEASURABLES • According to his Hudl page, runs a 4.65 40-yard dash and 4.24 20-yard shuttle, and boasts a verti- cal of 36.5 inches. STATISTICS • As a senior, caught 48 passes for 773 yards and four touchdowns in eight games of action follow- ing a bout with mono. Also rushed for 31 yards and a score, and recorded 32 tackles and four sacks. • Hauled in 27 receptions for 318 yards and four scores as a junior. • During his sophomore campaign, recorded 18 grabs for 294 yards and one touchdown. HONORS • Named second-team offense All-USA Illinois by USA Today after his senior campaign. • Earned a spot on The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette's All-State first-team following his senior season. • Received 2016 first-team News-Gazette All- Illinois accolades. • Selected to The Chicago Tribune's 2016 All- State second team. • Named to the Illinois Football Coaches Associa- tion Class 6A All-State team. • Picked to the 2016 Pioneer Press All-Area first team. • Tabbed as a Northwest All-Area performer by The Chicago Daily Herald. • Ranked as the country's No. 72 overall player and No. 2 tight end by Tom Lemming's Prep Foot- ball Report. • Listed as a four-star member of the PrepStar Top 300 Dream Team, ranked as the No. 182 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 3 tight end. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7 in San Antonio. Received high praise for his performance in practice and the game, earning the Rivals "Lunch Pail Award" for blocking and other as- pects of the game that do not appear in a box score. • Attended the Irish Invasion in June 2015 and June 2016. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Oct. 2, 2015. • Also held offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and North Carolina, among others. • Visited campus unofficially for the Michigan State game (Sept. 17) and took his official visit over the weekend of Notre Dame's postseason awards banquet (Dec. 9-11). • Also took two unofficial visits during 2015 be- fore he committed to the Irish in October and attended a Junior Day on Jan. 23, 2016. • Primarily recruited by former associate head coach and wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock and former tight ends coach Scott Booker. NOTABLE • Born March 10, 1999. • Wants to major in business. • His father, Frank, played six years in the NFL as a defensive end for the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns after playing at Purdue. 2017 PROJECTION • A deep stable of tight ends means a redshirt season is possible for Kmet. THEY SAID IT Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Chip Long: "He's a freak athletically. Great ball skills, comes from a great family. He's a young man that stays the course. … He knows the game and knows what it is going to be like in college. "The faster he shows his physicality and can withstand the grind of college football the faster he gets on the field." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "More of a pass catcher first and a blocker second, which makes him a perfect complement to Brock Wright. Kmet shows elite ball skills. He has out- standing hands, attacks the football well, tracks the ball exceptionally well and makes tough catches in traffic. "A fluid athlete, but must improve his route run- ning. While Wright projects to be more of an at- tached player, Kmet can do a lot of damage in the slot and lined up on the outside. Kmet showed he can handle himself in the run game during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl." Two-Sport Standout Cole Kmet Brings Pedigree To Notre Dame Kmet was one of Notre Dame's two U.S. Army All- Americans in the class of 2017. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/COURTESY RIVALS.COM