Michael Mayer: Notre Dame’s Rookie Rampage
About 99.99 percent of the time, even the slightest mention of a college freshman tight end in the same breath with the NFL’s top player at the position the past decade, Rob Gronkowski, would be classified as sheer lunacy.
Welcome to the 0.01 percent with Notre Dame freshman Michael Mayer.
Just five games into the 6-4½, 249-pound Mayer’s college career, longtime ESPN NFL analyst Todd McShay already tagged him as the most talented Fighting Irish player on offense.
Not even fifth-year seniors on the roster guffaw at the “Baby Gronk” sobriquet he received from local sportscasters at Independence, Ky., where Mayer became a top-40 national prospect at Covington Catholic (the No. 87 he dons, like Gronkowski, was just coincidence and available when he was a sophomore).
And why would they when during the 8-0 start he was second on the team in receptions (21 for 247 yards and two scores), breaking tackles, stiff-arming defenders for extra yardage on one play, hurdling them on another to keep the ball-control attack moving — while also imposing his will as a blocker. The “eye test” reveals he already would not look out of place at an NFL training camp.
“Baby Gronk — he’s a physical player,” said fifth-year senior left tackle Liam Eichenberg, a potential first- or second-day NFL pick himself. “That’s what separates him from a lot of guys on the team. He sets a tone, doesn’t shy away from hitting anyone. You can see that when he catches the ball on the run.”
“Just seeing him out there making plays is incredible,” fifth-year senior defensive end Ade Ogundeji added. “He’s only scratching the surface. He does everything the right way. He comes into the meetings right away, on time, he’s just a great guy.
“He plays physical at the point of attack and he can really go up there and make grabs … he’s going after the ball every single time he’s out there, and that’s really important for a person at his position.”
Typically reserved and conservative in interview settings, fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book couldn’t help but light up when asked about Mayer and the professional mentality already displayed by him.
“He’s really good,” Book said. “… He’s fun to play with. If the ball is in the air, he’s the guy that’s going to go make a play on it. Got a lot of confidence in him. … He’s going to play football for a long time.”
Beyond the physical attributes, the mental comportment that belies Mayer’s youth is just as valuable.
Early in the conquest of No. 1 Clemson, a motion penalty at the Tigers 1-yard line by Mayer and a misplayed pass helped limit the Irish to field goals. A rookie in such a situation often goes into the tank, but the staff kept him in for 67 of the 82 plays on offense while he shared a team high in receptions (five for 67 yards) and continued his effectiveness as a blocker.
At Boston College last weekend, his 54 snaps (out of a possible 78) eclipsed veterans Tommy Tremble (39) and Brock Wright (28), a top-50 recruit himself in 2017. He might be listed as the "fourth" option at tight on Notre Dame's depth chart because of his freshman status, but he's given the coaching staff no choice but to get him on the field as much as possible.
If there is a “freshman wall” for Mayer, he’s knocked that over as well, among other things.
“For players in their freshman year to continue to ascend, there has to be a mental performance component that is different than most freshmen,” head coach Brian Kelly said of the early snafus versus Clemson. “And he has that. When he came over after the red-zone [mistake], he handled himself incredibly well.
“He didn’t throw a helmet, didn’t throw a tantrum. He just started breathing, talking to himself in the manner that, ‘I’m going to make that play next time when I’m given that opportunity again.’
“He just handles himself like somebody who has been in our program for more than one year. It’s very unique.”
Mayer propelled Covington Catholic to a state title as the tight end and middle linebacker, but it was his overall leadership, poise and unequaled work ethic that set the tone among everyone.
Covington Catholic head coach Eddie Eviston attributes that to an upbringing that included grandfather Dick Maile leading LSU basketball three straight years in scoring and rebounding from 1962-65, father Andy Mayer playing baseball at Ohio University, a cousin, Luke Maile, who’s been a Major League Baseball catcher for five years, and brother A.J., now a quarterback at Miami (Ohio).
“He’s never been the guy who’s about the limelight or the attention,” Eviston said. “He always handled it with grace — and he’s handling it the same way now. With the background his family has, he is a student of the game and just a worker.
“He was never one to try to get out of anything, never one that needed a break — and we asked a lot out of him. The more we asked out of him, the more he responded. He never got overwhelmed, never an attitude of, ‘I just want to protect myself so I can move on.’ It was always, ‘Coach, whatever you need, I’ll lead the way.’”
Even as a freshman, if necessary.
Best (Previous) Freshman Tight Ends
After eight games, Michael Mayer’s 21 receptions (247 yards, 11.8 yards per catch with two scores) were not only the second-best on the team but already the second most by a Notre Dame freshman tight end since eligibility for a rookie was first permitted in 1972. Who were the most productive?
5t. Alizé Mack (2015) and 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, Mack stepped in and finished with 13 receptions for 190 yards, highlighted by clutch fourth-quarter 35- and 45-yard receptions in comeback wins versus USC and Temple during a 10-1 start.
In head coach Bob Davie’s debut season, Holloway made six starts, played 160:10 and caught eight passes for 144 yards (18.0 yards per catch) and a score, with several important receptions that helped defeat No. 11 LSU and No. 22 West Virginia.
4. Ken MacAfee (1974)
The reigning national champs had to replace the graduated All-American Dave Casper, and by mid-season the 6-4, 245-pound freshman MacAfee took over and excelled as a receiver and blocker.
The future Walter Camp Award winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee finished with 14 catches for 146 yards and one score as the Irish finished No. 6 in the Associated Press poll in Ara Parseghian’s final season as head coach.
3. Dean Masztak (1978)
Following the graduation of MacAfee, the freshman became a favorite Joe Montana target.
He made vital grabs in fourth-quarter comeback victories against Pitt (three for 47 yards) and Houston (three for 49 yards) in the Cotton Bowl, and snatched 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 National Player of the Year was so gifted that head coach Lou Holtz moved incumbent senior tight end and tri-captain Andy Heck to left tackle. Brown made an instant impact, playing 206:38 and earning honorable mention All-America notice from Sporting News. His first two receptions resulted in touchdowns, and in the 31-30 victory over No. 1 Miami he made crucial grabs of 26 and 20 yards.
Brown finished with 14 catches for 220 yards (15.7 yards per catch) and three touchdowns, capped by 47- and 23-yard receptions in the Fiesta Bowl win 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, Rudolph remarkably started all 13 games and played 343:38, a Notre Dame freshman record at any position.
His 28 catches (two touchdowns) for 340 yards are both Irish freshman records at tight end, but particularly notable was his durability while also having to serve as a blocker and play almost every single snap on offense. He concluded with four catches for 78 yards in a 49-21 romp over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.
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