In the day of social media, slogans are everywhere, and teams all over the country claim to be the best at producing various positions. The term "Position U" is used, depending on the position. "Linebacker U", "Quarterback U", etc., etc.

For a time, Notre Dame held firm to the moniker "Tight End U." From 1969 to 2015, Notre Dame produced 21 NFL Draft picks at the tight end position, including nine players taken in the first two rounds.

Brian Kelly was hired as Notre Dame's head coach prior to the 2010 season, and since that time four different tight ends were selected in the draft, including first round pick Tyler Eifert (2013) and second round picks Kyle Rudolph (2011) and Troy Niklas (2014).

During Kelly's first three seasons at Notre Dame - in which he primary called plays - Irish tight ends averaged 60.7 receptions, 770 yards and five touchdowns per season. After Kelly relinquished play-calling duties, those numbers went down each season. Notre Dame's tight ends hauled in 42 passes for 669 yards in 2013, 31 passes for 324 yards in 2014, 20 passes for 233 yards in 2015, and 12 passes for 159 yards this past season.

Notre Dame's new offensive coordinator - Chip Long - will not only call plays for the Irish offense, he is going to coach the tight ends. That is the position Long coached from 2012-15 at Arizona State and this past season at Memphis. During that stretch, his tight ends averaged 40.8 receptions, 499 yards and 5.6 touchdowns per season.

Long did not coach a single four-star recruit at the position during the last five seasons, yet the position was a key part of his offenses. The Notre Dame roster he inherits has four players that were graded out as four-star recruits by Rivals: Nic Weishar, Alize Jones, Brock Wright and Cole Kmet. Jones (No. 133), Wright (No. 44) and Kmet (No. 95) were all ranked as Rivals250 players.

The new Irish coordinator is excited to inherit such a talented group.

“Really excited,” Long said during his introductory press conference. “I recruited a lot of them for the most part. I think at Notre Dame you can go recruit the best offensive linemen, quarterbacks, tight ends, really any offensive position in American.

“The group we have coming in is exciting and the group that’s here is exciting. 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.”

Let's take a look at how tight ends have been used in Long's offenses in the past.

Notre Dame did not show much formational diversity over the last three seasons, with its 11 personnel grouping dominating the snaps. Eleven personnel has one running back, one tight end and three receivers on the field. The two tight end packages Kelly liked to employ early in his tenure in South Bend were rare.

Expect Long to move the tight end around in the 11 personnel grouping in hopes of getting his players at the position isolated in favorable pass game matchups. He'll also move them around in a way that puts them in position to make a key block in the run game.

Here are some examples of how Long will use tight ends out of the 11 personnel grouping.

This is a base formation that will be quite familiar to Notre Dame's tight ends. The tight end is attached to the line of scrimmage (on the right in this photo) and the offense is in a 2x2 alignment.

Notre Dame used this as one of its base formations the last three seasons. It allows the offense to get a sixth player (the tight end) in the box. This alignment has benefits in the run game, but depending on how teams react to this formation, it can also get favorable matchups on the perimeter. This happens when teams treat this as a run-heavy alignment and either bring a safety down closer to the box or get the outside linebacker tighter to the box.

Long will also align in a spread out 2x2 alignment with the tight end in the slot to one side. In the photo above, the tight end is aligned to the field, but he will also align in the slot to the boundary.

When in the slot, the tight end is in position to block on the perimeter run/screen game. He is also in position to get a linebacker in space in the pass game if a team goes with its base defense. If it keeps the linebacker in that means the tight end and outside receiver are in one-on-one matchups. If a defense goes nickel, the tight end either has a size advantage against the nickel or safety, or the offense now gains a size advantage in the run game.

Long has used this formation a great deal. It's similar to the first formation, but the tight end is off the ball, which does a lot for the offense.

One, while off the ball, the tight end can motion around the formation. He can stay where he is, motion outside or motion across the formation - which gives the offense three players to a side.

Two, this alignment allows the tight end to quickly work to the backside in the run game.

Three, this alignment allows the tight end to work better for width in the run or screen game.

Four, this alignment allows the tight end to get a bit more of a clean release off the line.

Long will also use the tight ends in some 3x1 alignments, like the one below:

This alignment gives Notre Dame the same advantage as the first formation, but it also gives the offense an opportunity to gain a numbers or leverage advantage to the three receiver side.

In this photo, the tight end is the No. 2 receiver in a three-receiver set. Long will have the tight end in that spot or the No. 3 spot in the formation. It gives the offense the same advantages as the 2x2 formation above when the tight end was in the slot.

Memphis liked to throw perimeter screens out of this formation, and having the tight end here gives them a bigger body at the point of attack against a smaller defensive back.

Memphis liked to motion the back or receiver out of this formation, and it also likes to throw quick perimeter screens that allow the tight end to get matched up against smaller players. If he gets matched up against a linebacker the tight end usually has a leverage advantage.

Long likes to use the 12 personnel grouping a great deal, especially early in games in order to establish the run game. Long also likes to throw play-action passes out of the two tight end sets.

Here is the base alignment out of 12 personnel:

Memphis used this formation with the quarterback under center - like he is above - and with the quarterback in a pistol or shotgun formation.

This 2x2 alignment gives Notre Dame an extra edge blocker at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. By being balanced, the offense has the advantage of checking a called run play to the side where it has a numbers and/or leverage advantage.

If the tight ends are quality athletes - which Notre Dame's tight ends will be - this alignment also gives the offense advantages in the pass game. Most defenses will be in their base personnel against this personnel grouping, or even substitute a bigger defender. Others will walk a safety down closer to the line of scrimmage.

What that does is put the tight end in a favorable matchup against a linebacker or a safety who is thinking more about defending the run than coverage.

Long could easily put both tight ends in the slot to either side, which forces the defense to make tough decisions.

Long will move one of the tight ends off the ball, which not only gives the offense the same advantages as it does in the 11 personnel formation where the tight end is off the ball, it also gives the offense an extra blocker attached to the line.

Here is another example:

Long liked to use this formation a lot last season. He liked to run at the two tight ends and throw quick game or screens away from the two tight ends.

Long would also play-action to and away from the two tight ends.

The tight end off the ball can also motion around, depending on the call, which forces the defense to react or risk getting out-numbered or out-leveraged.

This is the same alignment, but with the tight ends flexed out.

The broad scope of pass routes used by Notre Dame will be tailored to what Long feels best suit the specific skills of his players.

There are some routes, however, that we can expect to see.

Everything the tight ends do must be built around the fear of stretching the field. Not just the talents of the players, but knowing the coaches will send that player on a vertical route at any time.

Long has no qualms about sending his tight ends up the seam, and when that happened the tight ends were far more than decoys, or to keep safeties occupied to free up another receiver.

All of Notre Dame’s tight ends will be used on this route concept, but junior Alize Jones will be especially dangerous on this route.

If defenses play the deep ball or linebackers start coming down tight, the middle of the field becomes a spot where the offense has to attack. Long likes to use the tight ends to attack that part of the field.

Out of the drop back game, Long won’t hesitate to call deep in routes to the tight end, like the one you see above.

Having the threat of the seam route and other deep tight end routes (inside posts, corner routes) makes this a more effective route for the offense.

Another route concept that Notre Dame will use to attack the middle of the field is the deep drag route.

Long usually calls this route out of play-action and bootleg passes. That gets the linebackers sucked down with the run action, allowing the tight end to get behind their level and in front of the safeties.

The in routes and drag routes can also be used as part of a high-low concept where another receiver can run a short crossing route in front of the tight end and a deep route – usually a post – behind the tight end.

Out of the two tight end sets, Long will often attack the boundary with its two tight end alignments. In this example, Memphis is running a bootleg with the quarterback, who then reads the smash concept variation being executed by the tight ends.

The attached tight end is running a corner route and the backside wing tight end is running an under route, giving the high-low read for the quarterback.

Long likes to use the tight ends in the quick game as well, which you see in the clip above.

This particular call – a slide route – is preferred in this instance because the tight end has a leverage advantage on the linebacker, which means either the tight end is wide open, or the cornerback has to squat and drive on his route, which would then open up a throw to the outside receiver behind the tight end.

Long also calls the Y Stick concept, which will have the tight end running the stick route. He has called that concept with two tight ends in the game, with the widest tight end running a quick slide route like the one above, and the tight end closest to the line running the stick route.

Long used his tight ends a lot in goal line situations. The primary use was as blockers at the point of attack, but he’ll also call backline routes like the drag route above.

The route tree Long will use will expand beyond this, of course.

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