Investigating An Intertwined Competition At Tight End And Slot Receiver
In two press conferences since Notre Dame opened training camp, Brian Kelly has hinted Notre Dame freshman tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman will see the field this year, possibly beyond the four-game sampling that preserves redshirt seasons.
Their potential roles, though, might not be at the expense of someone else at the same position. Certainly, Tommy Tremble will be involved and is the likely starter. He’s last year’s returning receiver who Kelly on Monday dubbed “one of our better offensive players.” Kelly also sounded determined to include upperclassmen Brock Wright and George Takacs in his plans
That’s five tight ends who Kelly sees legitimately competing for snaps and theoretically helping Notre Dame’s offense move the ball. He explained with conviction his plan for how to incorporate all of them.
“We’re not going to be a one-tight end offense,” Kelly said. “Let’s say that right now. You will see three tight ends, and not just in goal line. You’re going to see the utilization of three tight ends as a basic package because that’s our personnel grouping. Those are the guys who can help us win.”
If so, it will be a departure from his past trends, though the skill level in the tight end room warrants some innovation. Notre Dame threw only four passes in its 18 plays with three or more tight ends last year, per Sports Info Solutions. Two of them led to receptions, and both were a tight end catching a goal-line touchdown. The Irish ranked behind 25 other teams in targets in three-tight end sets.
(Also, Notre Dame ran three plays with three-plus tight ends in the Camping World Bowl, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ debut, and all were runs).
Even with an uptick in 13 personnel usage, Notre Dame isn’t going to trot it out as its starting offense. What will be pertinent to watch, though, is the frequency of 12 personnel vs. three-receiver sets. In a way, tight ends and slot receivers are competing for in-game snaps. If Kelly is indeed intent on increasing tight end involvement, the second tight end in 12 may be the de facto third wide receiver/slot guy, even if he’s in-line at times.
“You can probably make that case,” Kelly said. “It’s trying to decide what’s our best personnel grouping, that’s the question. We can certainly make the case we’re better suited with two tight ends on the field than we are with a slot. We’re still evaluating that. You’re going to see both. You’re going to see quite a bit of two tight ends.”
In 2019, 12 personnel was a predominantly a rushing formation for Notre Dame. The Irish had 277 combined targets and rushing attempts in 12 personnel, with 109 of those resulting in targeted passes, per Sports Info Solutions. But those 109 targets were 15th most in the country, and they yielded 77 catches, 10.8 yards per reception and 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Ian Book was responsible for all 77 completions, which ranked sixth nationally.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame quarterbacks took only 10 dropbacks with no tight ends. The Irish were 57th nationally in dropbacks and 62nd in rushes with three receivers on the field. They had 160 completions in three-receiver sets, which ranked 60th.
In light of all those numbers, perhaps it’s best not to view the tight end position as five players competition for one spot, but two of them. And the competition extends beyond the tight end room, meaning Mayer, Bauman and others could be battling slot receiver Lawrence Keys III and perhaps even Bennett Skowronek or Braden Lenzy for snaps more than they battle among themselves.
It’s also worth noting Notre Dame does not appear to have run a play with three tight ends and two receivers in 2019, though that was of course under former coordinator Chip Long.
However this cross-position competition shakes out, expect most everyone in that mix to be involved in some way. Lenzy’s speed is going to give him a role. Skowronek may be Kevin Austin’s fill-in at boundary receiver to start the year, but if he performs well, he’s not going to disappear once Austin returns from injury. And Kelly singled out Keys, who had 13 catches but battled a foot injury in 2019.
“Lawrence is a kid we love,” Kelly said. “He certainly has a skill set we’re going to take advantage of.”
Same time, the tight end isn’t going away as a central component of Notre Dame’s passing offense. Its 2019 starting lineup, after all, featured two tight ends six times. Based on Kelly’s early comments, he senses little to no tight end talent drop-off from 2019 to 2020.
“We’re going to take advantage of our personnel, and we have five tight ends who can play for us,” Kelly said. “You’re going to see a lot of tight ends on the field, and it’s not just going to be 11 personnel. You’re going to see some 12, some 13 because that’s the personnel that’s going to help us win.”
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