Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 MARCH 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Chris Tyree's Speed Will Get Him Touches By Lou Somogyi Freshman impact is not always about who is the best player in a class, but what position(s) is in need of most help. This was not the case at Notre Dame in 2019. Safety Kyle Hamilton arrived as the top recruit, and he played a position that had two starting captains — Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott — yet he still went on to earn Freshman All-America honors. Mean- while, punter Jay Bramblett filled a position of im- mediate need and was also effective and impactful. This year's four areas that need instant help are long snapper, cornerback, wide receiver and maybe running back. Long snapper graduated three-year starter John Shannon, so a safe bet might be Alex Peitsch — although walk-on junior Michael Vinson could earn the spot this spring. No one at corner arrives with the "star power" of a Hamilton, although it might help Ramon Henderson and Caleb Offord that they enrolled in January. Wide receiver Jordan Johnson is intriguing, but freshman wideouts under Brian Kelly haven't had an impact history (current NFL players Will Fuller, Equanimeous St. Brown, Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool combined for 12 catches as rookies). Finally, Chris Tyree provides a needed game-breaking element at running back. With Tyree checking in at less than 180 pounds and partaking in high school track this spring, I doubt he will be a three-down figure, but I do antici- pate he can get, in my conservative estimation, three to five touches per game. My hope is his speed can be utilized as a freshman the way wide receiver Braden Lenzy's was as a sophomore in 2019 with 27 touches for 525 yards. Michael Mayer Is Too Good To Keep Off The Field By Mike Singer Like Lou mentioned with the example of Ham- ilton last year, some players are just so talented that the Notre Dame coaching staff finds a role for them to play as a true freshman. I believe this will be the case in 2020 with Mi- chael Mayer, a 6-5, 234-pounder who is rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 31 overall player nationally by 247Sports, and was listed No. 36 overall in the country by Rivals. Cole Kmet's departure to the NFL after his junior season plays a significant factor here, too. Kmet would've had a huge role in the offense once again in 2020, and without him there's a void left to be filled. Tommy Tremble will become more of a focal point in the passing game, following his 2019 campaign in which he caught 16 passes for 183 yards and four touchdowns while utilized often in double-tight-end sets. George Takacs and Brock Wright have not received many opportunities in the passing game at this point, and Mayer has the opening needed to pass them up on the depth chart. Chip Long liked to use three tight ends in various sets, and it's yet to be seen how new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will use the position. Regardless, Notre Dame remains "Tight End U." I'd imagine the tight end will still be valued, which will give Mayer some snaps as a freshman if he's ready. Assuming Tremble slides into Kmet's role as Notre Dame's primary pass- catching tight end, Mayer has an excellent opportunity to become the No. 2 option, much like Tremble did in 2019. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH 2020 RECRUIT WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT AS A FRESHMAN THIS SEASON? TYREE MAYER Christopher Cale Morris has a two-pronged mission as the Notre Dame senior goalkeeper be- gins the final stretch of his outstanding collegiate hockey career. The first is to savor every moment of his last month as an Irish athlete. The second is rallying a team that has muddled around the .500 mark since January to win the Big Ten Tournament — likely the only chance Notre Dame has to find its way into the NCAA Tournament. The list of team, conference and national ac- colades for Morris during his time with the Irish would take two pages to chart. He's a two-time Notre Dame team MVP, the 2018 Mike Richter Award winner as the best goaltender in the country, the 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year, and a two-time All-Academic Big Ten selection as a business technology major. Despite a lackluster season for the Irish, Morris is up for many of the same honors this season. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Morris — a Larkspur, Colo., native — to talk about his time at Notre Dame and what lies ahead. BGI: What was the attraction to Notre Dame during your recruitment? Morris: "Just the balance between academics and athletics. The facilities are top notch and ob- viously the education you are getting with Notre Dame speaks for itself. "I think just the balance of knowing there is a life outside of hockey and for every player, their career is going to come to an end. And having the ability to play college hockey at the highest level while setting myself up for the future, it was kind of a no- brainer." BGI: What has your time at Notre Dame meant to you? Morris: "It's been awesome. I've met some of my best friends here. Obviously, going to school here and being surrounded by plenty of valedictorians, the people that are going to make a big difference in the business world, the staff. "Notre Dame surrounds you with the best type of people, so it's been really special." BGI: What would be your fondest moment here so far? Morris: "Probably winning the overtime game my sophomore year to win the Big Ten Tour- nament championship [a 3-2 victory over Ohio State] was a special moment. "Any time it's an overtime game-winner like that, it's just something that you always re- member, skating down to all the boys and just celebrating with them. That was a pretty special time here." BGI: This hasn't been a great year, so what remains for the rest of this season? Morris: "I still think that we have everything ahead of us. We are con- tinuing to get better each day. I don't know if everyone else can see it, but we can definitely see that things are starting to fall into place and some things are starting to go our way. "I think the wins are going to come and no bet- ter time to be playing our best hockey than now with everything that is coming up." BGI: Where do you see yourself five years from now? Morris: "I see myself still in contact with all of my classmates, regardless of hockey or not. And hopefully, still playing hockey. That's obviously the goal and knowing that regardless of that, I still have a good fallback with my education. "So, I guess five years down the road, I guess still playing hockey." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME SENIOR GOALKEEPER CALE MORRIS MORRIS