Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
TIGHT ENDS POSITION COACH Chip Long is in his first season as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Notre Dame. He has been given full responsibility to call plays, which is an area he has excelled at in his previous coach‑ ing stops. In seven of his 11 seasons as a collegiate coach, he has been associated with an offense that has ranked among the nation's top 20 in scoring. He served as the offensive co‑ ordinator and tight ends coach at Memphis in 2016, and helped the Tigers rank among the top 20 na‑ tionally in passing offense (14th, 304.4 yards per game), scoring of‑ fense (16th, 38.8 points per game), completion per‑ centage (17th, .635), passing efficiency (19th, 152.53 rating) and first downs gained (20th, 303). Memphis was one of just six Football Bowl Subdivision teams to rank among the top 20 in each of those categories last season. Prior to his lone season at Memphis, Long spent four years at Arizona State (2012‑15). He served as the tight ends coach the first three years and the running backs coach in his final year, and also was the program's recruiting coordinator. During his time in Tempe, Ariz., the Sun Devils averaged 37.0 points per game, finished with con‑ secutive 10‑win seasons (2013 and 2014), earned a pair of top‑25 finishes in the national polls and won the 2013 Pac‑12 South crown. During his redshirt junior season in 2012, Chris Coyle thrived under Long's guidance, finishing third in the nation among tight ends with 4.38 receptions per game, while averaging 14.6 yards per catch and hauling in five scoring passes. Coyle, an All‑Pac‑12 pick and honorable mention All‑American in 2013, finished his college career third on Arizona State's all‑time list for most receptions by a tight end with 92, while his nine touchdown grabs tied for fourth in ASU history among tight ends. Rivals tabbed Long as one of the top recruiters in the Pac‑12 Conference from 2012‑14, and both Rivals and 247Sports identified him as one of the nation's top 25 recruiters in 2015. Long also has served as the tight ends/fullbacks coach at Illinois (2010‑11), was an offensive gradu‑ ate assistant in charge of tight ends at Arkansas (2008‑09) and was an offensive graduate assistant at Louisville (2006‑07). The former wide receiver/tight end at the Univer‑ sity of North Alabama (2002‑05) earned his bach‑ elor's degree in history with dual minors in psychol‑ ogy and business administration. He was tabbed as a first‑team All‑American as a senior and was named to the Gulf South Conference All‑Decade Team at tight end in 2010. RETURNING PLAYERS ALIZÉ MACK • TE Jr. • Las Vegas Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 245 Career Highlights: Changed his last name from Jones to Mack for family reasons … Did not play in 2016 after being suspended due to academics … Played in all 13 games and made five starts as a true freshman in 2015 … Led the way for Irish tight ends with 13 catches and 190 receiving yards. Prep: Scout listed him as a five‑ star recruit, and the nation's No. 2 tight end and No. 32 overall pros‑ pect … Ranked by ESPN as the na‑ tion's No. 1 tight end and No. 52 overall player … Posted 41 receptions for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior … Helped Bishop Gorman to a 15‑0 record and its sixth straight Divi‑ sion I state title, in addition to topping USA Today's final national team rankings … Named a first‑team All‑American by MaxPreps and USA Today … Played in the U.S. Army All‑American Bowl. Personal: Born March 29, 1997 … Played with Irish classmate Nicco Fertitta at Bishop Gorman … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2015 13‑5 13 190 14.6 0 2016 Did not play Totals 13-5 13 190 14.6 0 DURHAM SMYTHE • TE 5th-Sr. • Belton, Texas Ht.: 6-5½ • Wt.: 256 Career Highlights: Started all 12 games last year … Had nine recep‑ tions for 112 yards (12.4 per catch) and four touchdowns … Played in and started three games in 2015 … Suffered shoulder and knee injuries that resulted in separate surgeries and forced him to miss the final 10 games of the regular season, though he returned and started in Notre Dame's Fiesta Bowl matchup with Ohio State … Registered three catches for 18 yards, including a seven‑yard touchdown grab on a fake field goal attempt at Virginia … Made his Irish debut in 2014, appearing in all 13 games … Recorded one catch for seven yards … Did not play in a game in 2013. Prep: Scout tabbed him as a four‑star recruit, the No. 25 prospect in Texas, and the country's No. 6 tight end and No. 170 overall player … Hauled in 37 passes for 547 yards and six touchdowns as a senior en route to first‑team Texas District 8‑5A honors for the second straight season … Played in the Offense‑ Defense All‑American Bowl. Personal: Born Aug. 9, 1995 … His father, Roy, played offensive line on Baylor's 1980 Southwest Conference championship squad … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2014 13‑0 1 7 7.0 0 2015 3‑3 3 18 6.0 1 2016 12‑12 9 112 12.4 4 Totals 16-3 13 137 10.5 5 NIC WEISHAR • TE Sr. • Midlothian, Ill. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 242 Career Highlights: Saw action in 12 contests and made one start last fall … Notched three recep‑ tions for 47 yards … Played in 12 games and started twice in 2015 … Caught three passes for 19 yards … Did not see any game action in 2014. Prep: Listed as a four‑star prospect, the No. 9 player in Illinois, and the No. 5 tight end and No. 213 overall player nationally by 247Sports … First‑team All‑America selection according to Parade and Max‑ Preps … Finished his prep career as the all‑time lead‑ ing receiver in Illinois high school history with 252 catches … His 3,238 career receiving yards ranked fifth in state annals … Was a two‑time Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Class 8A first‑ team all‑state pick … Was also a two‑time East Sub‑ urban Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year … As a senior, he hauled in 86 passes for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns … Also eclipsed 1,000 re‑ ceiving yards in both his sophomore and junior cam‑ paigns … Played in the U.S. Army All‑American Bowl. Personal: Born Sept. 19, 1995 … His late brother Andrew played at Illinois Wesleyan … Enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in finance. Year G-GS Rec. Yds. Avg. TD 2015 12‑2 3 19 6.3 0 2016 12‑1 3 47 15.7 0 Totals 24-3 6 66 11.0 0 NEWCOMERS COLE KMET • TE Fr. • Lake Barrington, Ill. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 235 Prep: Rated as a four‑star prospect, the No. 3 re‑ cruit in Illinois, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 95 overall player nationally by Rivals … As a senior, caught 48 passes for 773 yards and four touchdowns in eight games of action following a bout with mono … Also rushed for 31 yards and a score, and recorded 32 tackles and four sacks … Earned first‑team all‑ state accolades from The Champaign-Urbana News- Gazette and the Illinois Football Coaches Association in 2016, and was a second‑team selection by USA Today and The Chicago Tribune … Participated in the U.S. Army All‑American Bowl. Personal: Born March 10, 1999… His father, Frank, played six years in the NFL as a defensive end for the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns after playing at Purdue. BROCK WRIGHT • TE Fr. • Cypress, Texas Ht.: 6-4½ • Wt.: 252 Career Highlights: Enrolled ay Notre Dame in Janu‑ ary 2017. Prep: Rivals ranked him as a four‑star talent, the No. 5 player in Texas, and the No. 1 tight end and No. 44 overall prospect in the country … As a senior, hauled in 30 receptions for 491 yards and four touch‑ downs … Named first‑team All‑USA Texas by USA Today … Tabbed as a 2016 Texas High School Coaches Association Academic all‑state Team selection … Par‑ ticipated in the 2016 Under Armour All‑America Game and led Team Highlight in receiving yards with 45 on two catches … Caught 17 passes for 396 yards and two scores during his junior campaign. Personal: Born Nov. 27, 1998 … His brother Brady is a defensive end at Rice University … His sister Emily is a two‑year letter winner in volleyball at Texas Tech. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 69