Since this January through August 24, and as the final preparations begin for next week’s September 1 opener versus Michigan, four words have been the mantra from the Notre Dame coaching staff when queried about senior tight end Alize Mack.
So far, so good.
It is like encountering perpetual yellow lights on the road in which one must constantly proceed and navigate with caution.
That’s because throughout Mack's first three years in college there has been a constant head-on collision between potential and progress for the 6-4 3/4, 247-pound enigma who was deemed in many circles the No. 1 tight end prospect in the land in 2015 .
For the third year in a road, Mack is on the Mackey Award Watch List — you can’t spell Mackey without Mack, after all — that at the end of the season honors the nation’s top tight end.
He was on it in 2017 even though he was sidelined from action in 2016 because of academic ineligibility. His appearance was based mainly on passing the eye test and a quality freshman campaign in 2015, highlighted by 35- and 45-yard catches that set up fourth-quarter game winning touchdowns in back-to-back weeks versus USC and Temple.
His 13 receptions were among the five most by a Notre Dame freshman tight end since 1972 (first year of freshman eligibility), and it prompted the coaching staff to work him as a boundary receiver the following spring.
Even after his sophomore season was shot in 2016 because of the academic ineligibility, head coach Brian Kelly instantly propped up Mack in the spring of 2017 as “a matchup nightmare” for defenses.
Through six games last year, Mack was the team’s top catcher with 17. Then in the final six regular season contests he caught only two more passes for 12 yards.
Overall, his 19 catches averaged a pedestrian 8.7 yards per grab — and his four drops on 39 targets ranked him near the bottom among the Irish regulars in pass-game efficiency, per Blueandgold.com analyst Bryan Driskell.
As the coup de grace of 2017, Mack was suspended for the Citrus Bowl because of not meeting off-the-field standards (non-academic related this time).
The propping-up days have been long gone — and that’s the way Mack acknowledges the way it should be.
Despite Mack's drops last season, though, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Chip Long was impressed enough with his improvement and production as a blocker in the run-oriented attack last year to keep putting him back on the field. The graduated Durham Smythe (now with the Miami Dolphins) took 643 snaps while Mack had 348 in multiple tight-end sets that were employed about 37 percent of the time in 2017 (compared to 10 to 15 percent in the two prior years before Long’s arrival).
Meanwhile, Mack’s reviews on himself were harsher.
“I don’t think I prepared myself well enough going into games, watching film,” Mack candidly stated earlier this week. “Just my effort out on the field, I don’t think I gave my all.”
When did he come to that conclusion?
“At the end of the season, for sure,” he replied. “I kind of knew it mid-season, but just looking back at the tape and seeing where I am now versus last year, I can see that my preparation wasn’t where it should have been. If you watch the film and you go and work hard day in and day out, then it will show on Saturdays — and I wasn’t doing that.”
With Smythe gone, it’s Mack’s turn to continue “The Streak” at tight end for the Fighting Irish.
All seven opening game starters at tight end for Notre Dame since 2004 have been drafted by the NFL, mostly in the first two rounds: Anthony Fasano (2004-05, 2nd round), John Carlson (2006-07, 2nd round), Kyle Rudolph (2008-10, 2nd round), Tyler Eifert (2011-12, 1st round), Troy Niklas (2013, 2nd round), Ben Koyack (2014, 7th round) and Smythe (2015-17, fourth round).
In fact, Smythe was the 29th overall Notre Dame tight end to get selected in the NFL Draft, and the 16th chosen among the top four rounds.
Whether it’s lining up as the “Y” or “T” in two-tight end alignments, Mack has absorbed his assignments and routinely received the guarded “so far, so good” approval from the staff.
“I think last year I was focused on little packages in certain plays, but now I have to make sure I understand the whole offense,” he said. “...It’s understanding the concepts. Once you understand the concepts and you know what the No. 2 receiver is doing, No. 3 receiving is doing, what Brandon (Wimbush) is seeing, how the O-line is moving, you pick it up pretty fast.”
He asserts his chemistry with the quarterbacks continues to progress, and he has spent more time with Long beyond the playing field.
“Just kind of getting the chance to understand who Chip Long is and building that Alize and Chip relationship of a coach and player,” Mack said. “Once you do that, it gives more passion to go out there and fight for him.”
Inevitably, the first snafu or dropped pass in 2018 will likely prompt skepticism on whether Mack will fulfill his immense potential, but tuning out social media overall since the spring has aided his concentration.
“I think putting too much pressure on myself, allowing the noise to get to me,” replied Mack on why last season didn’t go for him individually as he wanted. “ It’s just getting back to being Alize and playing the game.
“You focus on your team, you focus on the day. Coach Long always says, ‘Dominate the day and focus on what you have to do on that moment.’ Focus on team and craft. At the end of day, noise doesn’t matter; this team is what matters.”
As for being on the Mackey Watch List again…
“Honestly, I haven’t paid any attention to it,” he said. “I honestly don’t know what’s being said, I didn’t even know I was on the watch list until a week later. I’m just so focused on this team right now and what I can do for this offense in order for us to win games. If that’s blocking, so be it. If it’s catching the ball, so be it.”
It's not quite a “now or never” proposition for Mack, who does have a fifth season of eligibility remaining in 2019 if he chooses that option.
“We’ll see what happens at the end of the year,” he said on whether he plans to return in 2019.
Much depends on whether the “so far, so good” progress in 2018 comes to fruition.
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