2015 Notre Dame Football Preview

2015 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 63 of 163

62 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI O f the 22 Notre Dame players who will line up as the starters on offense and defense against Texas Sept. 5, only one might have zero career starts to his name: junior tight end Durham Smythe. That's an oddity at a school that in the past 40-plus years, starting with Dave Casper in 1973, has an unparalleled legacy of tight end ex- cellence. This includes four second round picks — Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph and Troy Niklas — plus first-round selection Tyler Eifert in the past 10 years. Meanwhile, Ben Koyack was the lone player from Notre Dame selected in this spring's NFL Draft after leading the entire team in snaps taken last year with more than 1,000 — or about 80 per contest. In 2015, the tight ends — along with the quarterbacks — find them- selves as the position group with the least proven experience. Smythe's one career catch (for seven yards, at Arizona State last year) represents the entire pass-receiving production, whereas at quarterback at least Malik Zaire has the Music City Bowl MVP award on his dossier. That was Zaire's lone career start. In that same outing, freshman Tyler Luatua made his starting debut in a two-tight-end alignment against the Tigers, which also represents the sole start among Irish tight ends. Yet among the five scholarship players on the Irish roster this spring, the one who has gained clear separation as the starter is the 6-4½, 245-pound Smythe. Luatua and converted defensive lineman Chase Hounshell have blocking as their forte, while sophomore Nic Weishar (6-4, 241) and junior Mike Heuerman (6-3½, 225) are capable receivers but not strong enough yet to be factors as blockers. With the top six wideouts and slot receivers also returning, consis- tent blocking is what will get the tight end on the field most. That's why even in the spring of 2012, when Notre Dame had Eifert, Koyack and Alex Welch as the top three tight ends, the Fighting Irish staff still moved Niklas from defense to tight end because there was need of an in-line physical presence. The top story this spring at tight end was Smythe gaining the separation by checking every box required. "He's the No. 1 tight end in all facets," head coach Brian Kelly said of Smythe two-thirds of the way through this spring. "His ability to catch, route run, knowledge of the offense, in-line blocking, blocking on the perimeter, knowledge of the game … "He's a kid that stays injury free. He has toughness. He has to work to get bigger and stronger. He has all the tools to be an ex- ceptional tight end. He was just lacking the opportunity more than anything else." This has been the mantra on Smythe since the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl preparation for Rutgers, when the freshman that was redshirted that season became a standout in the practices. While playing behind the tandem of Niklas and Koyack, Smythe was lauded by Kelly for his "unique ball skills" as a receiver while tracking the ball in the air. "At tight end, you're in a situation where you've got guys hang- ing all over you, you're going across the middle of the field, you're going up because the ball is high, the balls are a lot of times outside the frame of your body because the quarterback is going to throw the ball away from a defender," tight ends coach Scott Booker ex- plained when asked why such receiving skills are so vital for his group. "We're usually not going to be running by guys; we're going to have guys on us and we have to adjust. … He can track the ball pretty well." Yet last season, Koyack monopolized the playing time at tight end while Smythe had only the one catch for seven yards. It was some- what a surprising development because Kelly had touted Smythe's "unique ball skills," so it appeared double-tight-end alignments might be used frequently. The reason for Smythe's lack of action behind Koyack was two- fold. One, he was not quite as effective a blocker as Luatua, who at 260 pounds had a more stout frame. Two, the Irish already had plenty of pass catchers on the field, including Koyack, so he had to distin- guish himself as a blocker at the position. This spring, Smythe became more of a standout — second prob- ably to only running back/slot receiver C.J. Prosise in most improve- ment among players on offense, per associate head coach Mike BY THE NUMBERS 5 Tight ends on the current roster who have a minimum of three years of eligibility remaining. Meanwhile, 2013 Parade All-American Nic Weishar and 2014 USA Today first-team All-American Aliz'e Jones have four apiece. 55 Average number of catches per season at the tight end position during head coach Brian Kelly's first five years. Last year was the lowest total with 31, in part because of more options at wideout and running back. 1987 The last season in which Notre Dame had a starting tight end that wasn't drafted by the NFL at that position. That was because the starter, Andy Heck, was moved to left tackle, where he became a first-round pick while freshman Derek Brown blossomed at tight end. TIGHT ENDS RARE AIR Durham Smythe leads the way for the least experienced and proven position group on the team Smythe, a junior who has one career catch for seven yards, was singled out as one of the most improved players on offense this spring. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of 2015 Notre Dame Football Preview - 2015 Notre Dame Football Preview