Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 67 TIGHT ENDS QUOTABLE: OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR CHIP LONG ON THE QUALITY DEPTH AT TIGHT END, INCLUDING SENIOR NIC WEISHAR, WHO HAS PLAYED MORE THAN 500 SNAPS THE PAST TWO SEASONS: "They are all playmakers, and I think they're going to really like this offense, how it showcases what they do and puts them in position to be elite guys." 2016 VS. 2017: IS STOCK UP OR DOWN? Significantly on the up side at the end of this spring. The position incurred a severe setback last August when Alizé Mack — after a promising freshman campaign (13 catches for 190 yards) — was declared academi- cally ineligible, although he was allowed to practice. Nearly everyone else returns (senior Tyler Luatua retired from football and went on medical scholarship in June), led by 15-game starter and fifth-year senior Durham Smythe. Add in senior Nic Weishar, and the Irish have three players who are at least in their third season at the school. Furthermore, true freshmen Brock Wright and Cole Kmet are two of the premier recruits at their positions. X-FACTOR Tight ends are often categorized either as "pass catchers" such as Mack or "block- ers," a la the retired Luatua. During the 12-1 season in 2012, Mackey Award winner Tyler Eifert was the "flex" figure with 50 catches, while Troy Niklas (eight starts) was the in-line blocker with five receptions. Few schools have recruited the tight end position better than Notre Dame the past four years. Still, there is some question on whether the Irish have a complete tight end who can both block and catch passes. FRESHMAN OUTLOOK In this year's 21-man recruiting class, Wright and Kmet were one-two among Notre Dame recruits in Rivals' rankings. Wright came in at No. 44 overall in the country and Kmet at No. 95. Wright was an early enrollee, giving him a leg up for the present and future. Despite so many experienced bodies ahead of him, Wright could see action for at least three reasons. One, he is good enough. Two, it likely isn't feasible to redshirt two tight ends. And third, he could find himself starting by 2018. Luatua is finished and Smythe is in his final year of eligibility, and it's not inconceivable that Mack — with a strong season — could turn pro after his junior year. DID YOU KNOW? Since 1974, Notre Dame has had 10 tight ends selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft, the most of any school in the nation. That's not even including future All-Pro and 1985 fourth- round pick Mark Bavaro, who this year joined receiver/return man Raghib "Rocket" Ismail and of- fensive lineman Aaron Taylor among the 75 players on the 2018 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. The five first-round picks during that time are Ken MacAfee (1978), Tony Hunter (1983), Derek Brown (1992), Irv Smith (1993) and Tyler Eifert (2013), and the five second-round choices were Dave Casper (1974), Anthony Fasano (2005), John Carlson (2008), Kyle Rudolph (2011) and Troy Niklas (2014). No other school has had such consistent excellence at the position. SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (5) Listed after the class year is the years of eligi- bility remaining. 80 Durham Smythe (6-5½, 256), 5th-Sr./1 86 Alizé Mack (6-5, 245), Jr./3 82 Nic Weishar (6-5, 242), Sr./2 89 Brock Wright (6-4½, 252), Fr./4 84 Cole Kmet (6-4, 235), Fr./4 Despite three players who are now at least juniors, none of the tight ends has more than 13 career receptions. Senior Nic Weishar played 262 snaps last season, which ranked second among Irish tight ends behind fifth-year senior Durham Smythe's 633. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA NOTABLE DATA This is a first in Notre Dame history — the tight ends coach also is the offensive coordina- tor and the designated play caller. Chip Long was hired from Memphis this winter for his new role after just one season with the Tigers, where he also was the coordinator and tight ends coach. In his last six seasons at Illinois (2011), Ari- zona State (2012-15) and Memphis (2016), Long's tight ends averaged 40.2 catches, 491.6 receiving yards and 5.6 touchdown receptions. One should look for an appreciable rise in pass- catching production this year from Irish tight ends, who snared only 12 passes last year and 20 in 2015.