Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 63 TIGHT ENDS With returning tight ends Smythe, Jones and Weishar, the Irish did not have a true blocking tight end in the fold and hoped Matuska would turn into that. Luatua contributed in both 2014 and 2015, but he finished behind Jones and Weishar in the final snap count after getting just 18 snaps in the final three games. Not getting any reps this spring might make it more of an uphill climb for Luatua, who also has experienced some concussion issues in the past. To the senior Smythe, it seems like he was just recently in his first year with the program and learn- ing under more experienced tight ends such as Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack in 2013. Now, the role of positional elder is his. In week two of the 2015 sea- son, Smythe suffered shoulder and knee injuries that would hold him out until the final game of the sea- son — a 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State. Now, he's healthy and hoping to prove he can be relied on every down by the Irish coaches. "My goal has always been to be an all-around guy, be a complete tight end," he said. "Back when I was a freshman I was more of a receiver, so I built up so I was trying to be even. "Now for me it's trying to elevate both aspects of the offense and trying to be reliable in both, somebody that can be trusted. That's what I've been trying to work on. Even from the beginning of last year, it's something I tried to focus on — being a reliable target and blocker. Unfortunately, the injury happened." Smythe is now the veteran of a group that includes a converted defensive lineman, two sophomores and a junior viewed as a blocking specialist. "They made huge strides over the last year, and it was accelerated because we had so many injuries off and on," Smythe said. "Their learning curve was accelerated last year ... Their production might have not been as good as it was in the past, but if you broke down the film on a week-to-week basis like we did, they did a great job. "It was exciting last year to watch them grow on a week-to- week basis." In 2015, Notre Dame's tight ends combined for 20 receptions, 233 receiving yards and one touchdown, which came on a trick play — a fake field goal in which holder DeShone Kizer flipped a shovel pass to Smythe in the 34-27 win at Virginia Sept. 12. Rarely were they a go-to option in the prolific Irish offense. "We're always in their ear," Smythe said of the quarterbacks. "In our locker room, it's quarterbacks and tight ends right across, so we try to make that pretty clear. With all the injuries at quarterback and other positions, maybe we did get away from it to an extent. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★ National Title Caliber; ★★★ Playoff Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★ Last year, Notre Dame struggled with consistency at the position once starter Dur- ham Smythe was lost for the regular season because of shoulder and knee injuries. The Irish are better positioned — assuming the personnel stay healthy — in 2016 with Smythe's return and now that the rest of the players, particularly sophomore Alizé Jones, have an extra year under their belt in the offense. The senior Smythe is more than capable of being an all-around option for head coach Brian Kelly and Co., and Jones will likely be a matchup problem for opponents at both tight end and the boundary receiver position. Experience ★★ Notre Dame's experience at tight end is much better heading into the fall than it was one year ago at this time. The Irish didn't suffer any significant losses at the position with Chase Hounshell being the lone departure, leaving for Ohio State as a graduate transfer. Jones has another year with the playbook, as does Nic Weishar who could become a pass-catching option in his third season in South Bend. The Irish had the luxury of not signing a tight end in last year's recruiting class with the returning talent at the position. Depth ★★★ Notre Dame is deeper at tight end than either of the past two seasons and could sustain an injury like what Smythe experienced last fall because of the improved depth. With a pair of capable starters in Smythe and Jones, the coaching staff has the luxury of cross-training the latter at the W boundary position. The decision by junior Tyler Luatua not to transfer from Notre Dame is also a sig - nificant boost to the depth, particularly in the blocking department. The Irish moved Matuska from the defensive line for that reason, but Luatua is more than capable of shouldering the load as a blocker. Overall Grade ★★½ Jones is the top physical specimen among Notre Dame's tight ends and could even- tually be the next in line of Notre Dame's excellent "Tight End U." tradition that spans nearly five decades. With Jones and Smythe, the Irish are well off at the position as long as both stay healthy. What hurt the tight ends' performance last season was a lack of experience and all-around ability. It's crucial to their success this fall that the players can do more than their specialized roles. Sophomore Alizé Jones, who hauled in 13 passes for 190 yards as a rookie, will split time between tight end and wide receiver this season. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS "We're aiming for [all-around players] and we're going in the right direction. We've had some good days and some days we've got to improve, but I think the guys un- derstand the urgency we need as a tight end group to be more productive in the run game and the pass game. … Everybody's had playing experience, and we expect big things from us as a group to do everything that's asked of us in our offense." TIGHT ENDS COACH SCOTT BOOKER ON HIS POSITION GROUP