Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 47 American by both USA Today and MaxPreps.com. Despite being aca- demically ineligible last season, Mack already is projected to be the sixth Notre Dame tight end since 2006 to be taken in the first two rounds. This winter, the Irish reeled in Ri- vals' No. 1 tight end in Brock Wright, an early enrollee this spring, and the No. 3 tight end in the country in Cole Kmet. They were the two highest- ranked recruits in Notre Dame's 21- man harvest. Almost lost in the shuffle is fifth- year senior Durham Smythe. He enrolled with the least fanfare as a Rivals three-star player, but his 15 career starts — including all 12 last year — are easily the most on the team. With Mack shelved last year, Smythe's 633 snaps (52.8 per game) dwarfed No. 2 Weishar's 262 in 2016. Yet it was Weishar who led the tight ends in snaps as a 2015 sophomore with 286, with the freshman Mack at 239, while Smythe was shelved by injuries. Smythe began his career in 2013 behind current NFL players Troy Niklas (Arizona) and Ben Koyack (Jacksonville). He doesn't plan on taking a backseat now, but will say that the tight end position has never been stronger in his five seasons with the Irish. "We've had stars at the top early in my career — we had Troy, we had Ben — but I think this group as a whole is the most talented through- out, top to bottom," Smythe said. "The freshmen came in weighing 250 pounds and were physically way more advanced than a lot of guys that have come in, in the past. "This group has a lot of depth and a lot of talent." Kelly concurs that the combination of a veteran offensive line and the tight end corps might be the team's strongest asset in 2017. "We're going to rely on an out- standing offensive line," Kelly said. "We think the five tight ends are all capable and ready to play this year." On the first series in a goal-line set in the Aug. 20 scrimmage, both Smythe and Weishar were in the lineup while Wright was the "full- back" and lead blocker for Adams in the classic I-formation. (Adams scored on a one-yard run.) Later, Mack snared a 19-yard pass, returning to action after injuring a hamstring earlier in camp. More multiple-tight-end forma- tions are expected to be a staple of the 2017 offense. It forces a defense to make decisions on whether to use a nickel package or match up a line- backer or safety with the tight ends. "That's definitely the goal in our room — as many as we can get on the field at one time," Smythe said of the tight ends. "We have a lot of guys who can do a little bit of everything." The Notre Dame tight ends caught only 12 passes last season (the few- est since snaring six in 2001), with Smythe hauling in nine, highlighted by four touchdowns. The numbers are expected to in- crease significantly this year, espe- cially because first-year tight ends coach Chip Long also will be the play caller. His background has featured extensive use of the tight end, and never has he had the cupboard better stocked there for him than this year. "It is nice having the play caller in our room telling us exactly what he's looking for," Smythe said. "That is something that we are very excited about. "He's a guy who's played tight end in college, has coached tight ends throughout his career, and he knows how to elevate guys' games. … There are some benefits, at least in our room, for having a guy like him." ✦ Quarterback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 7 Brandon Wimbush 6-2 228 Jr./3 12 Ian Book 6-0 208 So./4 4 M. VanGorder 6-1 222 Sr./2 13 Avery Davis 5-11 202 Fr./4 Walk-ons: Nolan Henry (17), J.D. Carney (14) and Cameron Ekanayake (18) Running Back No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 33 Josh Adams 6-2 225 Jr./2 34 Tony Jones Jr. 5-11 225 So./4 2 Dexter Williams 5-11 215 Jr./2 38 Deon McIntosh 5-11 193 So./4 16 C.J. Holmes 6-0 208 Fr./4 Wide Receiver No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 6 E. St. Brown 6-5 203 Jr./2 81 Miles Boykin 6-4 225 Jr./3 26 Austin Webster 5-11 192 Sr./2 29 Kevin Stepherson 6-0 185 So./3 Wide Receiver No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 15 Cameron Smith 5-10½ 202 5th-Sr./1 10 Chris Finke 5-9½ 181 Jr./3 87 Michael Young 5-10 190 Fr./4 3 C.J. Sanders 5-8 181 Jr./2 Wide Receiver No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 83 Chase Claypool 6-4½ 224 So./3 11 Freddy Canteen 6-0 194 Sr./2 88 Javon McKinley 6-2 221 So./3 25 Jafar Armstrong 6-1 214 Fr./4 Walk-ons: Mick Assaf (24), Keenan Centlivre (9), Grant Hammann (31) and Arion Shinaver (85) Note: Other than St. Brown, who lines up mostly in the boundary, and maybe Smith, the receiver rotation is more fluid than any other position on the team. Tight End No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 80 Durham Smythe 6-5½ 257 5th-Sr./1 86 Alizé Mack 6-5 251 Jr./3 82 Nic Weishar 6-5 243 Sr./2 84 Cole Kmet 6-5½ 256 Fr./4 89 Brock Wright 6-4½ 252 Fr./4 Walk-ons: Chris Bury (47) and Jack Henige (49) Note: All five are slated to play, with Wright even lining up as an old-fashioned fullback when the Irish are in the I-formation. Left Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 68 Mike McGlinchey 6-8 315 5th-Sr./1 74 Liam Eichenberg 6-6 300 So./4 Left Guard No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 56 Quenton Nelson 6-5 330 Sr./2 75 Josh Lugg 6-7 300 Fr./4 69 Aaron Banks 6-6 325 Fr./4 Center No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 53 Sam Mustipher 6-2½ 305 Sr./2 57 Trevor Ruhland 6-4 302 Jr./3 Right Guard No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 71 Alex Bars 6-6 312 Sr./2 70 Hunter Bivin 6-6 315 5th-Sr./1 76 Dillan Gibbons 6-4 294 Fr./4 Right Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 78 Tommy Kraemer 6-5½ 314 So./4 72 Robert Hainsey 6-4½ 290 Fr./4 67 Jimmy Byrne 6-4 285 Sr./2 Walk-ons: Sam Bush (63) , Logan Plantz (62) and Colin Grunhard (61) Notes: Lugg is likely a tackle in the long term, but most of the linemen have cross-trained … A fresh- man is not expected to be inserted just for mop- up duty, which would cost him a year of eligibility. 2017 Offense Depth Chart This is Blue & Gold Illustrated's unofficial scholarship depth chart for the offense. The number next to the class year represents years of eligibility remaining.