Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/109499
TE Mike Heuerman 6-4 ✦ 220 ✦ Barron Collier H.S. ✦ Naples, Fla. Notable: Born on Sept. 29, 1994 … Enrolled early on Jan. 15, 2013 … Runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, bench presses 350 pounds, squats 400 pounds and has a 31-inch vertical jump … Threw the discus for his high school's track team and played ice hockey when he was younger … Plans to major in business … Lists former Notre Dame tight end and current Pro Bowl MVP Kyle Rudolph as his favorite football player … Older brother, Jeff, plays tight end at Ohio State and father, Paul, played basketball at Michigan. Rankings: Rated as a four-star recruit, the No. 31 player in Florida, the No. 7 tight end in the nation and the country's No. 215 overall recruit by 247Sports … Ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 8 tight end in the country and the No. 50 player in Florida by Rivals.com … A four-star prospect and the No. 10 tight end in the country according to Scout.com … Listed as a four-star prospect, the fifth-best tight end, 48th-best player in Florida and 127th-best recruit in the Southeast by ESPNU … Earned a four-plus star rating and a ranking as the No. 6 tight end nationally from Tom Lemming and MaxPreps.com. Statistics: Made 22 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns as a junior … Also returned three kickoffs for 31 yards as a junior … Caught six passes, including three that went for scores, as a senior while serving mostly as a blocker. Honors: Named Class 6A second-team all-state as a defensive lineman after his senior season … Selected for the all-area team at defensive end by the Naples Daily News. All-Star Games And Camps: None. Brian Kelly's Comments: "He was part of the interesting Irish Mob this year, which was taking its own life form online and through Twitter and Facebook, and he was one of those guys recruiting other players in this class. That says a lot about what he feels about Notre Dame. … He's going to be a fine football player for us." Barron Collier head coach Dan Pallante Comments: "He's the type of guy, and that's why he's there, that can handle any situation. He is a well-rounded person. He can go from hanging out with a hillbilly in a pair of boots to hanging out in the White House, and he'll be fine. He's a neat kid. And that's not even saying anything about his football ability." Tom Lemming Of Prep Football Report: "He's an athletic tight end who needs weight and strength. Has good hands, and they used to split him out sometimes, too. Like most tight ends coming into college, probably just needs work with his blocking. I think he's very athletic and a guy that can grow to be a 245- or 250-pounder." Recruitment: Committed to Notre Dame on April 26, 2012 … Visited Ohio State and Miami and strongly considered both … Also had offers from Florida State, LSU and Florida, among others … Recruited primarily by recruiting coordinator Tony Alford … Hosted by Aaron Lynch and Troy Niklas on his trips to South Bend … Said the highlight of his Irish visit was playing golf with fellow tight end Tyler Eifert … Visited Notre Dame March 30, April 17 and June 14, and took his official visit Sept. 21 for the Michigan game. Why He Chose Notre Dame: "I felt that this was my future home ever since the first visit I made. It gave me a totally different feeling from all other schools." Jason Sapp's Scouting Report: Has an edge to him on the field and plays with a high level of confidence … Possesses a good combination of running and catching ability, which allows him to be a receiving option on the line or line up wide … Keeps working to get open, is a deep threat and gains yards after the catch. 2013 Projection: Heuerman needs to add weight to his 6-4 frame, but could compete for a complementary role as a receiving tight end in his freshman year.