Try as George Takacs might, the barrier to playing time beyond mop-up duty or goal-line packages just wouldn’t break. It may as well have been three rows of cinder blocks, piled up high and deep — in the form of NFL Draft picks.
First, in his freshman year of 2018, the barriers were Alizé Mack and Cole Kmet. In 2019, they were Kmet and classmate Tommy Tremble, who was ready to go a little bit earlier than Takacs. Then 2020 brought freshman Michael Mayer, a top-40 recruit, with Tremble behind him.
All told, that’s a second-round pick (Kmet), a third-rounder (Tremble), a seventh-rounder (Mack) and a sure-looks-like-an-early-rounder (Mayer). Undrafted free agent but trusted blocker Brock Wright was also a presence in 2019 and 2020.
Talk about immovable. Even for a former four-star recruit.
Until now.
Mayer has a stronghold as the No. 1 tight end, if not the top pass-catching option, but behind him, there’s finally a clearing. Takacs is poised to leap into it. In an offense that uses multiple tight ends as often as Notre Dame’s, being No. 2 still offers a chance for real impact.
Better late than never. Perhaps it’s not actually all that late. He has three seasons of eligibility left, after all.
“He can be a great model for what it looks like to be a developmental player at Notre Dame,” offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. “Come in as a freshman, not ready to play yet. Sophomore year, still developing. Last year, take some steps in the right direction where you say, ‘George is going to have a role for us next year.’
“He has owned that role right now. He has done a nice job of being that ‘Y’ tight end in some of our 12 personnel packages and going in there as a single tight end in 11.”
With Mayer and sophomore-to-be Kevin Bauman held out of Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Game, Takacs had the job as Gold’s No. 1 tight end all to himself. He played nearly every snap until the middle of the fourth quarter and ended with three catches for 32 yards on four targets. The highlight was a 25-yard reception on a play-action throw.
“George Takacs, who’s about 152 years old, it was nice to see old man George out there today,” head coach Brian Kelly said afterward. “George is an undervalued player on our roster. He can make plays for us. He’s a talented player. It was nice to see him have some success. I think he will have more success moving forward.
“George has had a good spring and we expect him to be a contributor for us in the fall.”
What might his contributions look like? The 2018-20 averages for Notre Dame’s No. 2 tight end are 382 snaps, 16.7 catches and 188 yards. Those receiving totals aren’t eye-popping, but they undersell second tight end’s importance. They ought to sound enticing to Takacs, who has just 122 snaps, five catches and 42 yards through three years.
The 12 personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends) are predominantly run formations where both tight ends are key blockers. Tremble’s blocking as the No. 2 tight end from 2019-20 was a consistent boost to the run game. He was a blocker on 60 percent of his snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He was also a play-action threat – arguably an underused one.
Takacs’ primary job last season was blocking in short-yardage and goal-line spots. In 67 snaps last year, he ran a route just 15 times. PFF gave him an above-average 66.7 run-blocking grade. He caught three passes for 30 yards.
If Notre Dame adds more play-action throws to its offense, Takacs could be one of the main beneficiaries. The Irish called play action out of 12 personnel more than any other set, per Sports Info Solutions.
“He’s now in a position where he can complement the offense,” Kelly said. “His mindset is, ‘I can contribute. I’m not going to be Mike Mayer, and that’s not who I am.’ But he’s a big, physical kid. He plays physical at the line of scrimmage. He’s a guy who’s going to help us as an in-line blocker. He’s a guy who has some talent catching the football.”
Nothing is written in Sharpie just yet. Takacs will need to hold off Bauman, who Notre Dame envisions taking a larger role. Early enrollee freshmen Mitchell Evans and Cane Berrong flashed in the spring game and appear to be ahead of schedule. They will enter camp hoping to shake up the depth chart.
Compared to three years behind the wall of NFL players, though, a push from some underclassmen should feel like a merely a breeze Takacs can withstand given Notre Dame’s hopes for him.
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