Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Leaning On Trusted, Experienced Friends Football League. The next he didn't know how he could possibly pass up his final season at Notre Dame. He needed expert counsel and turned to a pair of former Fighting Irish stars for guidance. John Carlson and Kyle Rudolph were happy to oblige. "It was really tough for him," said former Eifert teammate Rudolph, who opted One minute Tyler Eifert was convinced he was ready for life in the National to leave with a year of eligibility remaining and was chosen by the Minnesota Vi- kings in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. "He wasn't quite sure. He asked me a lot as far as advice or to maybe guide him one way or the other. "I told him it just comes down to what's important to you. If it's important for you to come back to Notre Dame and break every tight end record in the book, which I'm sure he will, or is it important to play in the National Football League?" Playing at the professional level was always one of Eifert's driving goals, but the draw wasn't as powerful as spending one more season with teammates he's grown to love. Rudolph impressed upon Eifert that returning solely to improve his draft stock — initial feedback placed Eifert in the third round — could lead to an unfulfilling season. "Why do you play the game?" Rudolph asked. "If you play the game to play in the National Football League and you're going back to school just to get drafted higher, you're going to be miserable that entire season; you're not there for the right reasons. And you're probably not going to end up getting drafted higher. If you go back to school for the right reasons, then you can do a ton for the program and really get things over the hump and back to where they should be in South Bend. "If you don't care if you're a first-round pick or a third-round pick and you just want to play in the NFL, well, more power to you. I completely support that deci- sion as well. It all boils down to what's most important to you." According to Eifert's father, Greg, Carlson strongly encouraged Eifert to return. Carlson exhausted his eligibility at Notre Dame before being drafted in the sec- ond round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2008. He missed all of this season with a shoulder injury. "John was really pushing him towards staying one more year and getting his degree, and having that in his back pocket when he does go [to the NFL]," Greg Eifert said. "He said you never know what's going to happen in the NFL. You may have one great year or two great years, but then things can go south. You just never know." Like Rudolph, who missed half his junior year with a hamstring injury, Eifert is scheduled to graduate in December with a degree in management-entrepre- neurship. "Any time you have to make a decision in this game, injuries have to play a part of it," he said. "The game can be taken from you at any time. That's the reason why I went to Notre Dame. You never know when things are going to be over, but you always have Notre Dame to fall back on. "It makes things a little bit easier knowing you're going back to a school like Eifert needs 39 receptions and 605 receiving yards in 2012 to care about you. Whatever your deci- sion is, we're going to support you.' "He more or less wanted Ty to un- derstand there will be changes next year with the offense and a lot of positive changes. I was impressed. Chuck is a great football coach and I think he's really going to be an asset to the offense next year." Eifert's toughness has never been 58 MARCH 2012 become the most prolific pass-catching tight end in school history. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND has endured his share of maladies while in South Bend. Eifert sat out most of his freshman campaign in 2009 with a fractured disc in his back that required surgery. Rudolph said the potential for another injury was discussed with Eifert, who Notre Dame and he will graduate with a degree from Notre Dame after this year. If football is not there, you don't really have an awful Plan B. You have a Notre Dame degree and that's going to get you a lot of places in life." ing his freshman year, and a litany of brutal hits to his 6-6, 249-pound frame over the past two seasons. The possibility of getting hurt again was addressed often throughout the deci- sion-making process. "That thought ran through all of in question. He overcame a fractured disc, which required surgery dur- our minds," Greg admitted. "It was definitely a factor. As much as the in- jury factor was always one of the key things that I was focused on in terms of should he go or should he stay, it is — Wes Morgan now one of the things we're putting totally out of our minds. We're not even worrying about that aspect." Eifert, who just wants to be a col- lege student while he can, was wor- ried about only one thing on the morning of Jan. 6 — a high priority of most young scholar-athletes. When asked if his son went back to sleep after their brief conversation, Greg let out a hearty chuckle. "What do you think?" he said. ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED