Freshmen Primed To Continue Notre Dame's Tight End Excellence
In the same category as “the sun will rise in the East,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly this week in a Zoom conference lauded the progress of current freshman tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman.
Few things are more predictable in the Fighting Irish program than the sustained excellence at the tight end position it has enjoyed over the past half century that has been unrivaled.
Despite 2019 starter Cole Kmet turning pro after his junior year and becoming the first overall tight end selection (the third under Kelly during his 10 seasons) in this spring’s NFL Draft, the Notre Dame tight end cupboard remains as well stocked as ever.
How easy it is to forget that senior Brock Wright was the No. 1-ranked recruit in the program’s 2017 haul (No. 44 nationally by Rivals), while Kmet was second (No. 95).
Then last year, current junior Tommy Tremble began establishing himself as the next high-ranking NFL prospect at the position, starting seven times in a double tight-end alignment with Kmet and snaring 16 passes for 183 yards and four scores (surpassing Kmet’s 15 catches for 162 yards and no scores as a 2018 sophomore).
Classmate and four-star recruit George Takacs would be a prime figure at a lot of Power 5 (or for 2020, Power 3) schools with his 6-6, 245-pound frame.
The fact that Mayer and Bauman are even in the discussion to see action as Notre Dame freshmen is remarkable considering how future second-round picks Anthony Fasano (2002) and John Carlson (2003) were redshirted as freshman, and first-round choice Tyler Eifert (2009) took a medical redshirt his freshman year.
That’s not even including how other future Irish NFL tight end alumni who either did not play or caught one or zero passes as freshmen included All-Pro Mark Bavaro (1981) or first-round pick Irv Smith (1989).
Running back Chris Tyree might be receiving the most attention among Notre Dame’s freshmen because of his game-breaking speed and the need at his position, but the two freshmen tight ends have made their own mark in the embryonic stages of preseason workouts.
The listed 6-5, 235 Mayer arrives as Notre Dame’s highest-ranked tight end in the Top 100 (36th) since Kyle Rudolph at No. 20 in 2008.
“Mayer has innate ability, size, quickness, escapability as he releases off the line of scrimmage,” Kelly said. “He’s an impressive young man in everything he has done.”
The Irish head coach was then quick to remind that nobody should be sleeping on the listed 6-5, 240-pound Bauman, who was ranked No. 129. After all, it wasn’t long ago that Kmet was ranked behind Wright.
“Here’s a guy if he’s not coming in at the same time as Mayer. …Everybody’s talking about him,” Kelly said. “He’s a guy I don’t think we can hold off the field either. Very impressed with him early on.”
Who had the best freshman tight end seasons at Notre Dame? These are the standards Mayer and Bauman will face.
5t. Alize Mack (2015) & Jabari Holloway (1997)
When starter Durham Smythe suffered an injury in the second game of 2015 that sidelined him the remainder of the regular season, the highly heralded Mack had to step in.
He finished with 13 receptions for 190 yards, highlighted by crucial fourth-quarter 35- and 45-yard receptions in comeback wins versus USC and Temple in back-to-back weeks that enabled Notre Dame to start 10-1.
In head coach Bob Davie’s debut season, Holloway became a shining star in the freshman class. His first reception was a touchdown (at Stanford), he made two crucial first-half grabs in a 24-6 upset at No. 11 LSU, and had a 48-yard reception in a 21-14 victory the following week against No. 22 West Virginia.
In all, he had six starts, played 160:10 and caught eight passes for 144 yards (18.0 yards per catch) with a score.
4. Ken MacAfee (1974)
The reigning national champs had to replace the graduated All-American Dave Casper. When starting tight end Robin Weber suffered a season-ending injury midway through the 1974 campaign, the 6-4, 245-pound freshman MacAfee was shifted there and excelled as a receiver and blocker.
He finished with 14 catches, 146 yards and one TD as the Irish finished No. 6 in the AP in Ara Parseghian’s final season as head coach.
This season helped him develop him into one of the greatest ever to play the position in the college game — including winning the Walter Camp Award and finishing third in the Heisman balloting for the 1977 national champs. He was inducted into the College Football Hall even before Casper.
3. Dean Masztak (1978)
One of five tight ends vying for action after the graduation of three-time All-American MacAfee, the freshman became the standout and a favorite Joe Montana target in the clutch.
He made crucial grabs in fourth-quarter comeback victories against Pitt (three for 47 yards) and Houston (three for 49 yards) in the Cotton Bowl, and grabbed four passes for 82 yards in a heartbreaking 27-25 loss at USC, the co-national champ. His 16 receptions averaged a robust 17.8 yards.
2. Derek Brown (1988)
The Parade magazine National Player of the Year was so talented that head coach Lou Holtz moved incumbent senior tight end and tri-captain Andy Heck to left tackle.
Heck became an All-American and first-round pick for the national champs, while Brown made an instant impact, playing 206:38 and earning honorable mention All-America notice from the Sporting News. His first two receptions resulted in touchdowns, and in the 31-30 victory over No. 1 Miami he made clutch grabs of 26 and 20 yards.
Brown finished with 14 catches for 220 yards (15.7 yards per catch) and three TDs, capped by 47- and 23-yard receptions in the Fiesta Bowl victory over West Virginia that set up two Irish scores en route to the national title.
1. Kyle Rudolph (2008)
When Mike Ragone suffered a season-ending knee injury in August and Will Yeatman was suspended from playing early in the campaign, Rudolph remarkably started all 13 games and played 343:38, a Notre Dame freshman record at any position.
His 28 catches (two TDs) for 340 yards are both Irish freshman records at tight ends, but particularly notable was his durability while also having to serve as a blocker and play almost every single snap on offense.
He concluded the year with four catches for 78 yards in a 49-21 romp over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.
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