You can't spell the Mackey Award without Mack.
For the third year in a row, Notre Dame senior tight end Alize Mack has been named to the John Mackey Award Watch List, which was released this Friday (July 20).
Maybe, three will be the charm this time after a college career that has had its share of setbacks. Mack is one of 44 players to make the list that at the end of the regular season recognizes the nation’s top tight end.
The honor was first bestowed in 2000 to Purdue’s Tim Stratton and has included Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert (2012) among its recipients. Former Irish stars Anthony Fasano (2005), John Carlson (2006, along with Eifert (2011), also were among the three finalists.
Rated the nation's No. 1 or 2 tight end recruit in 2015, the USA Today first-team All-American Mack made his impact felt as a freshman when he nabbed 13 passes that totaled 190 yards for the 10-3 Fighting Irish, highlighted by clutch 35- and 45-yard grabs in the fourth quarter that set up game-winning touchdowns in back-to-back games versus USC and Temple.
That debut campaign put Mack on the Mackey Watch List as a sophomore in 2016, but academic ineligibility sidelined him that season.
Despite sitting out a full year, Mack was on the Mackey Watch List again in 2017 on sheer potential. He led Notre Dame in receiving through six games with 17 for 154 yards, but only snared one more pass for 12 yards in the final six regular season contest before getting suspended from action prior to the Citrus Bowl victory versus LSU.
Mack displayed improved acumen as a blocker last season, and this spring his work ethic, discipline and punctuality drew the attention of the coaching staff.
“As long as he concentrates on daily devotion to his craft, all the things he wants will come his way,” said Notre Dame offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Chip Long of Mack. “You don’t get another senior year. It’s time to decide what kind of player you want to be, and legacy, and what is important to him.”
While Mack’s pro potential is often discussed, he acknowledged earlier this spring that for the first time he’s applying a professional touch in college.
“I approach my days a lot different,” Mack said. “The biggest thing this spring is walking into The Gug [Athletics Complex] an hour early.”
That meant showing up an hour earlier as opposed to waking up right before he’s scheduled to arrive. Those were not the “traits” of someone committed.
“Now, I wake up an hour and a half or two hours early, eat and make sure I get myself going, every day — being the same guy every single day,” Mack said. “If I can be the same guy every single day, my teammates feed off of it and it allows me to play better.
“It’s work, man. Putting extra time in watching film, working on your game and having confidence. Focus on the play, not the environment. That has helped me … I knew coming into spring I had to make sure I was in shape. That was the biggest emphasis I had.”
Being in “shape” involved not merely the physical but the mental approach to remove other distractions, including social media and the like.
“I was focused on other things instead of myself,” reflected Mack after this year’s Blue-Gold Game on what has held him back from fulfilling his immense potential. “I got into the media, I got into the noise, I got into the hype, I was doing more talking than walking.”
Notre Dame opponents are most prominent on this list, including two for Michigan — Zach Gentry and Sean McKeon. There is also Nolan Given (Ball State), Jared Pinkney (Vanderbilt), Kaden Smith (Stanford), Ravian Pierce (Syracuse) and Tyler Petite (USC).
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