SIGNED: TE Cole Kmet
Arlington Heights (Ill.) St. Viator tight end Cole Kmet submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame on Wednesday.
Rivals rates the 6-6, 240-pounder as a four-star talent, the No. 3 player in Texas, and the No. 3 tight end and No. 95 overall prospect nationally.
Measurables
• According to his Hudl page, runs a 4.65 40-yard dash and 4.24 20-yard shuttle, and boasts a vertical of 36.5 inches.
Statistics
• As a senior, caught 48 passes for 754 yards and four touchdowns in eight games of action following a bout with mono. Also recorded 32 tackles and four sacks.
• Hauled in 27 receptions for 318 yards and four scores as a junior.
• During his sophomore campaign, recorded 18 grabs for 294 yards and one touchdown.
Honors
• As a senior, was named second-team offense All-USA Illinois by USA Today.
• Named to The Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette’s All-State first-team following his senior season.
• Selected to The Chicago Tribune All-State second team.
• Selected to the Illinois Football Coaches Association Class 6A All-State team.
• Tabbed as a Northwest all-area performer by The Chicago Daily Herald.
All-Star Games And Camps
• Participated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7 in San Antonio. Received high praise for his performance in practice and the game, earning the Rivals “Lunch Pail Award” for blocking and other aspects of the game that do not appear in a box score.
• Attended the Irish Invasion in June 2015 and June 2016.
Recruitment
• Committed to Notre Dame on Oct. 2, 2015.
• Also held offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and North Carolina, among others.
• Visited campus unofficially for the Michigan State game (Sept. 17) and took his official visit over the weekend of Notre Dame’s postseason awards banquet (Dec. 9-11).
• Also took two unofficial visits during 2015 before he committed to the Irish in October and attended a Junior Day on Jan. 23, 2016.
• Primarily recruited by former associate head coach and wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock and former tight ends coach Scott Booker.
Notable
• Born March 10, 1999.
• Wants to major in business.
• His father, Frank, played six years in the NFL as a defensive end for the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns after playing at Purdue.
2017 Projection
• Notre Dame returns a deep stable of tight ends, which means a redshirt season is possible for Kmet.
They Said It
BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: “Kmet is more of a pass catcher first and a blocker second, which makes him a perfect complement to Brock Wright. As a pass catcher, Kmet shows elite ball skills. He has outstanding hands, he attacks the football well, he tracks the ball exceptionally well and he can make tough catches in traffic.
“He is a fluid athlete, but must improve his route running. While Wright projects to be more of an attached player, Kmet can do a lot of damage in the slot and lined up on the outside. Kmet showed he can handle himself in the run game during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.”
Rivals Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt: “The Lunch Pail Award is for the guy who does the dirty work that doesn't get into the box score or noticed by many and it was an easy call to give it to Notre Dame tight end commit Cole Kmet.
“Known more as a flex tight end prospect, Kmet proved his ability to be an in-line blocker throughout the week of practices, then was arguably the East’s best blocker on game day, yet never got a pass thrown his way.”
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