Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
TIGHT ENDS QUOTABLE: HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY ON THE MATCHUP PROBLEMS ALIZÉ MACK PRESENTS WITH HIS SIZE, SPEED AND NOW BETTER FOCUS: "I don't know how you're going to defend him. There's not a safety or a linebacker [that can] — if you start spreading him out, maybe a corner can get a hand in there and deflect the ball, and maybe he doesn't run the route quite the way a receiver would, but he's going to be very difficult to defend. "What has changed Alizé is he's organized in his thoughts and his day-to-day life." Mack — who was ranked as the No. 4 tight end nationally in the 2015 class by Rivals — was sidelined last year due to academics, but is poised to have a breakout season. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN Starter ★★★ With offensive coordinator Chip Long also the tight ends coach, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Notre Dame em- ploy a two-tight-end package similar to 2012 with Tyler Eifert and Troy Niklas. Fifth-year senior Durham Smythe was solid but unspectacular in 2016, catching just nine passes, although four went for touchdowns. Smythe was decent in the run game, but will have to get better there in his final season. Notre Dame received a huge boost by the return of junior Alizé Mack, who missed the 2016 season. Mack has elite potential, although he remains unproven at this point. Experience ★★★ Notre Dame's tight ends combined for only 12 receptions in 2016 and 20 in 2015, a far cry from the 2010-13 seasons, when the they averaged 56 catches per season. The lack of proven production in the pass game is a knock on this group. What it lacks in production is com- pensated for in experience. Three dif- ferent returners have started at least three games, with Smythe's 15 leading the way. Over the last two seasons, Smythe played 780 snaps and senior Nic Weis- har 548, while Mack saw action on 239 as a true freshman in 2015. Depth ★★★ Having three players with starting experience allows Notre Dame to field a veteran unit capable of handling it- self well in the run game while also serving as occasional chain movers as receivers. There is variation in style with the group. Smythe has no great strengths nor conspicuous weaknesses. Mack and Weishar are pass catchers first, al- though Mack showed improved block- ing skills this spring. Such versatility gives Long the abil- ity to mix and match with his tight end unit based on what his schematic needs are each week. Overall Grade ★★★ Mack has star potential, Smythe could be a good do-it-all player and Weishar could have a complementary role. What keeps this unit from grad- ing higher revolves around what it could be and not what it has proven. Should Mack become the pass game weapon the staff hopes he can and should Smythe grow into a strong No. 2 role, it will be in very good hands. To show how impressive the talent is, Notre Dame signed two of the best tight ends in the country in the 2017 recruiting class, but neither Brock Wright nor Cole Kmet is guaranteed a spot in the rotation. BY THE NUMBERS 4 Star ranking of all five Notre Dame scholarship tight ends on the roster, a combination of quantity and quality one will seldom see at the position. Junior Alizé Mack had the highest 247Sports composite overall national rating at No. 62, while freshman Brock Wright was No. 67 this past year. 12 Receptions by Notre Dame's tight end corps last year, with nine by Durham Smythe and three by Nic Weishar, both of whom return, totaling 159 yards. The last time Notre Dame tight ends caught fewer passes in one season was 2001 (5-6 finish) when John Owens and Gary Godsey combined for six catches, 79 re- ceiving yards and one scoring grab. Yet even Owens would enjoy an eight-year NFL career from 2002-09. 633 Snaps on offense recorded by Smythe last year, or an average of 52.8 per game. A distant second was then junior Weishar with 262. Weishar had a team- high 286 as a sophomore in 2015 when Smythe was injured most of the season, while the then-freshman Mack had 239. In 2014, senior tight end Ben Koyack led all Irish players in snaps with more than 1,000, or about 80 per game, a remark- able number at the position. 68 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern