Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/998819
66 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI D uring head coach Brian Kelly's first four seasons at Notre Dame from 2010‑13, the Fighting Irish tight ends were snatching passes at an un‑ precedented rate — even by the school's lofty standards begun at the position in the 1970s. In those aforementioned four seasons un‑ der Kelly, the tight ends grabbed an average of 56 passes for 752 yards (a robust 13.4 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. In the ensuing three years from 2014‑16, the tight ends' presence in the passing game diminished, dropping from 31 total catches in 2014 to 20 in 2015 and finally to its nadir of 12 during the 4‑8 finish in 2016. Last year while the team revitalized to a 10‑3 finish and No. 11 Associated Press final national ranking, tight end likewise enjoyed its own regeneration under first‑year offen‑ sive coordinator Chip Long — who also, and not coincidentally, happens to be the position coach for the tight ends. Using multiple tight end sets more than at any other time in the Kelly era, the position group collectively snared 45 passes, with three different players leading each category. Junior Alizé Mack had the highest recep‑ tion total with 19, fifth‑year senior Durham Smythe had the most receiving yards with 244 (on 15 catches for a notable 16.3 yards per grab) and senior Nic Weishar hauled in two touchdowns (which were more than the one apiece by Mack and Smythe). Eventually, Smythe continued a streak that has seen every opening game tight end starter at Notre Dame since 2004 get drafted by the NFL, mostly in the first two rounds: • Anthony Fasano (2004‑05) — second round • John Carlson (2006‑07) — second round • Kyle Rudolph (2008‑10) — second round • Tyler Eifert (2011‑12) — first round • Troy Niklas (2013) — second round • Ben Koyack (2014) — seventh round • Smythe (2015‑17) — fourth round With Mack, Weishar and the top‑rated 2017 Irish recruits Brock Wright (Rivals' No. 1 tight end nationally) and Cole Kmet (No. 3) now sophomores, a continued resur‑ gence is in the making. "Tight End U. has been kind of down these last couple of years," said Mack, re‑ ferring to the statistics output. "I definitely think that we'll see huge improvement." It has to begin with Mack setting the tone. Now Or Never The 2018 stage is set for the 6‑5, 244‑pound Mack. Unfortunately, so far it has been an act overdue to earn rave reviews at the tight end position. From the moment he arrived on Notre Dame's campus in 2015 as a USA Today first‑team All‑American, Mack has been pre‑ ordained as a future pro, an Eifert‑like figure that could split out as a wideout and stretch the field or split the seam. At super‑power Las Vegas Bishop Gorman as a senior, his 41 receptions averaged 22.6 yards and included 13 touchdowns. As a freshman, those game‑breaking skills by Mack were showcased in back‑to‑back weeks with clutch fourth‑quarter catches, RESURRECTING TIGHT END U. Led by senior Alizé Mack, the unit is expected to continue a rebirth in the coming years Mack hauled in a position-high 19 catches in 2017, and enters his senior season with 32 career recep- tions for 356 yards (11.1 yards per catch) and one touchdown. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL