Cole Kmet On Journey To Join Notre Dame’s ‘Tight End U.’ Excellence
On a night when Notre Dame suffered 12 penalties (mostly illegal procedures on the offense) during a 23-17 loss at No. 3 Georgia, the Fighting Irish were at least fortunate that offensive coordinator Chip Long was not flagged for “targeting” his prize pupil, junior tight end Cole Kmet.
From the game’s opening snap to the final series, Long made certain Kmet would make up for lost time, and then some, in his first action since suffering a broken collarbone in the Aug. 8 practice at the Culver Academies.
On the game’s first play versus the Bulldogs, Kmet snared an eight-yard pass from senior quarterback Ian Book, and on plays three and four followed with 10- and 15-yard receptions. This was hardly wading into action while breaking tackles, lowering his shoulder, stiff-arming defenders, absorbing punishment — and then dishing it out, too.
“He told me on Thursday before the game he was going to get me going,” Kmet said of Long’s plans two days before the Georgia game. “Usually with Coach Long if you make one play, you break a tackle, he’ll come right back to you.”
Come back he did, as Kmet’s nine receptions (for 108 yards and a touchdown) tied Ken MacAfee’s Notre Dame’s single-game reception record by a tight end set in 1977 at Purdue en route to the national title that year.
For his efforts, Kmet was named the national tight end of the week by the John Mackey Award committee.
Kmet did dress the previous week against New Mexico, but was held out as a precaution to take a CT scan the ensuing Monday to verify all systems were go health-wise. The medical staff admitted they were on pins and needles on that first possession at Georgia, but Kmet said after the first catch and hit he was good to go physically and mentally.
“I kind of had the mindset of you just have to go for it,” said the 6-5½, 250-pound Kmet. “[The doctors] told me it was good, it was going to hold up.”
Remarkably, the “full hit” on his first reception was the first one he took since breaking his collarbone. So much for needing to get acclimated to the physicality.
“I had no tentativeness at all,” said Kmet, who played 62 of the 64 snaps (including penalties called back) by the offense. “The adrenaline gets going and you just go out and play.”
• In the second quarter, on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, a scrambling Book did not target Kmet in the end zone — looking more for senior running back Tony Jones Jr., in the back end — but Kmet made a one-handed stab anyway for his first career scorer.
“The play broke down, so I wouldn’t say I stole it,” Kmet said with a laugh. “… I saw it and I took it.”
It was yet another way of stealing the moment.
• With the score knotted at 7-7, the Fighting Irish ran the two-minute drill right before halftime, and a perfectly executed seam route to Kmet picked up 28 yards to set up a field goal and a 10-7 lead at the intermission.
Few plays in football can be as or more violent than a tight end taking a hit from the safety on the seam, but it’s ability to open up an entire playbook is significant.
“If they have one high [safety coverage] and the safety goes over to Chase [Claypool], I know the ball is probably coming to me,” Kmet said. “You just kind of have to prepare yourself for that [huge hit] … I like to think I gave him a little bit, too.”
• Trailing 23-10, Kmet was instrumental in the third scoring drive with another 31-yard grab in the seam, which set up a touchdown to Claypool that narrowed the deficit to 23-17 before the final march to victory was stopped.
Because he worked extensively with Book when both were running with the second offense back in 2017, the two have developed a rapport and chemistry that was evident on the field. Now as a junior, Kmet is more than primed to fulfill the immense expectations Long — who also is the tight ends coach — had for him back in the spring.
“Freak athlete,” Long said of Kmet in March. “He’s a once-in-a-lifetime guy you get to coach. With his speed and size, he should absolutely dominate the middle of the field.”
While also pitching for the Irish baseball team last spring, Kmet had to shut that part of his athletic career down eight appearance into his season because of a frayed elbow that was also experiencing tightness. He plans to return to the diamond in the spring, where freshman brother Casey Kmet also joins the roster.
For now, his primary pitch is to become one of the premier tight ends nationally to once again represent “Tight End U.”
RARE 100-YARD CLUB
Since 1974 with Dave Casper, Notre Dame has produced 10 first- or second-round selections at tight end (five apiece), not even including All-Pro Mark Bavaro, among a dozen others who enjoyed careers in the NFL.
Kmet appears to be on a similar path. The game at Georgia marked only the ninth time a Notre Dame tight end eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game. The others also were first- or second-round picks. Here are the top yardage figures in a game:
1. Kyle Rudolph — 164 (eight catches) versus Michigan in 2010
This was highlighted by a 95-yard touchdown in the 28-24 loss at home.
2. Anthony Fasano — 155 (eight catches) versus Purdue in 2004
Unfortunately, this also resulted in a loss at home, 41-16.
3. Ken MacAfee — 130 (five catches) versus Navy in 1977
This 43-10 win came on the heels of his eight catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns in the previous week’s 49-19 dismantling of No. 5 USC.
4. John Carlson — 121 (four catches) versus Michigan State in 2006
Highlighting it was a 62-yard touchdown as the Fighting Irish rallied from a 37-17 deficit to win 40-37.
5. Ken MacAfee — 114 (nine catches) versus Purdue in 1977
The 1977 Walter Camp Award winner (and third-place finisher in Heisman voting) shined in the 31-24 win in which third-team QB Joe Montana came off the bench to rally the Irish from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit to a 31-24 victory.
6. Mike Creaney — 114 (three catches) versus Purdue in 1972
He nabbed a 39-yard touchdown and added 30- and 45-yard catches in the 35-14 victory.
7. Cole Kmet — 108 (nine catches) versus Georgia in 2019
Most yards by a tight end since Rudolph in 2010. First-round pick Tyler Eifert came close to 100 with 98 versus Purdue in 2012, the year he won the Mackey Award.
8. Derek Brown — 101 (four catches) versus Purdue in 1989
Future first-round pick starred during this 40-7 romp versus the Boilermakers.
9. George Kunz — 101 (seven catches) versus Purdue in 1967
The future No. 2 overall pick (behind O.J. Simpson) in the 1969 NFL Draft at offensive tackle played only one game at tight end for the Irish — but what a debut. He was then moved back to tackle after this 28-21 defeat in which quarterback Terry Hanratty completed 29 of 63 passes for 366 yards.
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