2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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TIGHT ENDS 64 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Starter ★★½ If this was strictly about athletic tal- ent it would be significantly higher — and even considered top 10 if we are talking about potential. So far, though, senior Alizé Mack has yet to play to his abilities while his produc- tion has never matched his tools. He showcased impact pass catching skills as a freshman and significant improvement as a blocker during his junior year, but he has yet to put both to maximum use in the same season. Notre Dame needs Mack to finally be talked about for what he is and not what he could be. If he does, he will be a nightmare for Irish opponents this fall and a highly appealing pro prospect. Experience ★★★½ Notre Dame returns four tight ends that have played legitimate snaps dur- ing their careers. Fifth-year senior Nic Weishar has totaled 763 snaps the past three seasons, Mack has been on the field for 587 snaps, and sopho- mores Cole Kmet and Brock Wright played a combined 92 snaps last season. The group's production isn't top notch, but it has combined for 49 catches, 488 receiving yards and three scores, with all but two of those catches made by Mack and Weishar. The veterans have played in some prominent games at Notre Dame, and despite his 2017 struggles, Mack has made some clutch catches in crucial moments. Improved produc- tion isn't guaranteed at the position this fall, but it won't be be- cause of a lack of experience. Depth ★★★½ Good luck finding more than a handful of schools with a deeper and more skilled group of tight ends than what Notre Dame returns. There are some with more past production, but from a depth and talent standpoint Notre Dame has few peers. Mack, Weishar, Kmet and Wright were all four-star recruits, and Mack, Kmet and Wright were all ranked as top-100 recruits by at least one re- cruiting service. Incoming freshman George Takacs was ranked as the No. 182 overall player in the country by ESPN, and classmate Tommy Tremble, a consen- sus three-star recruit who was injured much of his senior year, might be the best athlete at the position. Whether this group can become col- lectively productive in 2018 remains to be seen, but options to turn to should be plentiful. Overall Grade ★★★ Offensive coordinator Chip Long loves to use his tight ends, and that is expected to only grow in his second season in charge of the unit. Notre Dame had at least two tight ends on the field for 37.2 percent of his snaps last season, compared to around 10 percent in 2015 and 2016. Part of the heavy tight end usage is philosophical, with Long believing that two-tight-end packages can pres- ent unique matchup problems for de- fenses. But those matchups are only problematic for defenses if there are capable, productive players taking snaps at tight end. Long has a lot of faith in his depth chart, and if the group proves it is warranted, a jump in effectiveness and output should occur this season and beyond. Through the decades, top tight ends have naturally gravi- tated toward Notre Dame. Fifth-year senior Nic Weishar has totaled 763 snaps the past three seasons with the Irish implement- ing double-tight-end situations. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN BY THE NUMBERS 2 Touchdown passes snared by cur- rent fifth-year senior Nic Weishar last season, tying him with senior wideout Miles Boykin and junior wide receiver Chase Claypool for the most among returning Irish players from 2017. No other current Notre Dame tight end has had more than one scoring reception. 8.7 Yards per reception by Alizé Mack on his team-high 19 receptions among the tight ends last year. That was almost half of what Fighting Irish fourth-round draft pick Durham Smythe averaged — 16.3 yards on 15 catches — in 2017. Mack has the skill set to be closer to Smythe's yardage total than the data he posted last year. 46 1/3 Innings pitched by tight end Cole Kmet this spring for the 24-30 Notre Dame baseball team. That figure was the fourth most on the team and was highlighted by the southpaw in his freshman year recording eight of the 12 saves made by the bullpen, mostly against ranked opposition. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern QUOTABLE: SENIOR ALIZÉ MACK ON PLAYING HIS SECOND SEASON UNDER OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/TIGHT ENDS COACH CHIP LONG: "We're a very fast-paced offense, and I think we're going to be very dangerous, this being year two. It's a different start to the spring versus day one of spring where you're installing and you're introducing a whole new playbook. Year two, guys are hitting the ground running."

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