Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 69 got into the hype, I was doing more talking than walking." Mack said he is taking far more ownership in demanding greater results from himself. After all, it was not too long ago, or back in Mack's freshman year in 2015, that Notre Dame future first-round pick Will Fuller at receiver noted that it was Mack who had "the best hands on the team." After his share of conspicuous drops last season, Mack is eager to back up Fuller's claim. "Every time Brandon [Wimbush] throws the ball I have to catch it — instead of think- ing, 'Well, people drop balls, and it's okay. It's okay to make a mistake,'" Mack said. "He knows, and I talk to him all the time that I'm going to catch it — and I have to. If I don't, then I'm hard on myself and the coaches don't have to jump on me. "He doesn't have to. So it's having a short memory, but also owning that and really try- ing to be a pro." The combination of sitting out a full sea- son, adapting to a new coordinator and an offense that last year took better advantage of his improved blocking resulted in some of his receiving woes. Now that Mack is in year two with Long and Wimbush in the operation, he feels like a veteran instead of a newcomer. "This will be my first year of playing two years in a row," he said. "This would be a huge improvement for myself. Just continue to work, though. Coming off the suspension and being gone for the year can make a huge difference because you're not used to game situations and being out there. You don't pick up a rhythm. That's the biggest thing. "But honestly … I focused on all the outer things instead of myself. Maturity has been a huge thing for me this spring and it's allowed me to play well." The relationship with Long also has boosted his motivation. "He's been more than just a coach to me, he's been a huge mentor," Mack said. "It's really just confidence and knowing what you're doing out there on the field and just focus in on the moment." That moment needs to arrive in 2018. Multiple Settings According to Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell, the ex- panded role of the tight end has emanated from Long's influence. In 2015-16, the two least productive sea- sons at tight end under Kelly, Notre Dame was in a multiple-tight-end formation about 10 percent of the time. In Long's first season last year, that num- ber elevated significantly to 37.3 percent, which in part aided the No. 7 rushing offense in the country (269.5 yards per game), easily the best since head coach Lou Holtz's final season at the school in 1996. That trend might continue, especially with a wideout corps that lost the top receiver from the past two seasons in Equanimeous St. Brown, and with junior wideout Chase Claypool (34) and Mack (32) as the lone members on the roster with more than 20 career receptions. With Mack, Weishar's experience and the presence of burgeoning young talents Kmet and Wright, the jury can no longer remain out on Mack's role and impact to restore Tight End U. into what has been a traditional upper-level tier for nearly 50 years. Case dismissed. ✦ This spring, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Mack — who has two seasons of eligibility remaining since he sat out the 2016 campaign due to academics — as the No. 5 underclassman tight end for the 2019 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL