Where Notre Dame Was & Is: Tight ends, moving on from an all-time great Where Notre Dame Was & Is: Running backs, led by a familiar ‘three-headed monster’ At every step of his decade at Notre Dame, Tommy Rees provided stability otherwise lacking Lengthy Texas cornerback joins Notre Dame class of 2024 Reports: Tommy Rees heads to Alabama after 10 total years at Notre Dame

Was Michael Mayer underestimated?

For a certain first-round pick that set Notre Dame’s every season and career record for a tight end, it might seem hard to understand. But when the Irish only have good tight ends, not great all the time in 2023, Mayer’s influence could take on a new, even more complementary perspective.

Although there will definitely not be a shortage of Notre Dame. It is simply inevitable that after Mayer’s departure, the position will roll back a step. This has been foreseen for at least two years now and will come true this fall, if not this spring.

This refusal alone will change the Irish offense in 2023 as much as any change of coordinator.

WHERE WAS NOTRE DAME
Michael Mayer.

Maybe it’s the whole subsection? It may seem extreme, but it was true. He was Drew Pinesafety valve; he was the best thinker of converting the third down; he demanded a greater concentration of defense.

Part of that was down to Notre Dame’s lack of other solid offensive options, but it was mostly down to how good Mayer was. This was a player that some NFL scouts wanted to spend a first-round pick on. two years ago.

Behind Mayer, the Irish titles were spinning due to injuries. First, freshman This is Reardon I had an anterior cruciate ligament tear in high school. Then, sophomore Mitchell Evans I injured my leg in the summer. Next, Jr. Kevin Bauman tore his cruciate ligament in the third week of the season.

Reardon played like a classmate Holden Stace, but Raridon’s season ended when he tore his cruciate ligament in practice in mid-October. Luckily for Notre Dame, Evans returned to the field around the same time.

Throughout the sophomore Kane Burrong only played one game and never played on offense, so the December transfer decision isn’t all that surprising.

2022 STATISTICS
Mayer: 12 games; 67 catches for 809 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Evans: 8 games; 3 catches for 39 yards and 1 touchdown with 7 rushes for 11 yards and 1 touchdown.
Kevin Bauman: 3 games; 3 tackles for 44 yards.
Holden Stace: 11 games; 1 catch per 11 yards.

RELATED READING: Notre Dame Receives Letter: Consensus Four-Star Tight End Cooper Flanagan
Notre Dame 99-0: No. 88 Mitchell Evans, sophomore tight end
Notre Dame 99-0: No. 85 Holden Stace Rookie Freshman Tight End
Notre Dame 99-0: No. 84 Kevin Bauman Jr. tight end
Notre Dame 99-0: No. 9 Eli Reardon, new freshman, tight end with an ACL tear

WHERE IS NOTRE DAME
First, find health.

Evans is healthy. Like Stas. Raridon could be by the time pre-season training kicks off, even if they do so a week early this summer due to the Irish trip to Dublin a week before the actual start of the season. (Notre Dame’s first practice ahead of the 2023 season is set to take place on July 28, though of course it’s mentioned that it means putting two carts in front of the proverbial horse, given that spring training runs between now and then, no dates yet, except for the game.) Blue Gold” April 22. )

On a typical timeline, Bauman would have been a little earlier. Maybe if he stays ahead of the pace he can do some non-contact work this spring, but it’s likely a bit more aggressive than reality.

That will leave Evans and Stace, and while Reardon should be a real threat on the field when healthy, missing this spring will likely enter the 2023 season behind Evans and Stace in the depth table.

If this duo had been preceded by any successful modern tight end other than Mayer, it would be easy to say that they would be more physically fit than him. But Mayer was everything.

Rather, Evans and Stace will be more “traditional” tight ends, as they line up closer to the tackle box and most of the time don’t run their routes much further than the first down marker. One or both should succeed, but Notre Dame’s use will change dramatically in 2023, both because Mayer is leaving for the NFL and because injuries have limited the options available.

However, one thing that is unlikely to be a 2023 feature is the Mitch-a-Palouse package, which lines up Evans behind center in third or fourth and one situations. Tommy Rhys was pleased with the move for several reasons, starting with the fact that Evans was not his primary tight end, so any additional risk associated with the deployment would not affect Notre Dame’s starting lineup.

In addition, he has benefited from the fact that the Irish have proven veteran guards who now need to be replaced.

Evans’ role will now reflect his Gator Bowl demo, in which he caught the game-winning touchdown on the day with 3 catches from 39 yards.

Tyler Buechner contacts Mitchell Evans to give Notre Dame the lead role. ☘️

(🎥: @NDFootball)pic.twitter.com/x52QPJfjAn

— score (@theScore) December 31, 2022

FUTURE DEPTH

#Notre Dame receives a letter: Welcome to Tight End U, Cooper Flanagan – https://t.co/45wHkelQt3

— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) December 21, 2022

@d_farmer tweet

The next Notre Dame offensive coordinator won’t matter; Whoever is Ireland’s head coach Marcus Freeman hired to replace Tommy Rhyshe will lean on his running backs.

Notre Dame’s runners’ room looks the same as it did a year ago, but so different. The order is sharply shuffled, but not at the expense of anyone’s failures, but only the successes of the youth.

Any new offensive coordinator will know he has three proven backs to lean on: an intriguing youngster joins a promising player who is slowly recovering from injury. Oh, and #8 running back in the class of 2023.

They will be trained again. Deland McCullough. There could be further coaching changes this offseason, but McCullough looks confident at Notre Dame.

Ha-ha-ha-ha. Man, there’s nothing better than working with my guys…even if I have nothing to do!!!! The competitive spirit only got me this far, but Logan lifting me up at the end is the Squad Power helping me finish. RB Pride!!! TGS✊🏾☘️ pic.twitter.com/KSpGR4mTkL

— Deland McCullough (@coachdmc) February 8, 2023

WHERE WAS NOTRE DAME
Running depth chart in this space – running as in an ever-evolving, not as in a running – still Chris Tyree on the list of runners. During the season, the “ever-evolving” depth chart is not updated as often as the previous game of the week lingers in memory and informs more than anything else.

But even in the season opener, Tyree was not an Irish starter. Audric Estimé received this award at the State of Ohio. His preseason was strong enough to propel Estime to the top of the depth chart, a place he must not give up until he heads to the NFL.

Growing up junior Logan Diggs he also ended up having more carries than Tyree, which created the type of running back needed to be a viable contender in modern college football.

Some Notre Dame fans insist that Tyree is a loser. They claim a former four-star runner who never ran a season. But this misses a few realities:

First, Tyree supported the All-American for two years. Addition Kyren Williams“All-round play with an element of speed has been vital for the Irish to reach the playoffs in 2020 and threaten him in 2021.

Second, if the gender of every four-star recruit is to become a four-year contributor with 13 or more touchdowns, recruiting will be much easier. Many “can’t miss perspective” don’t fit this.

Finally, Tyree’s 2021 touchdown return against Wisconsin is now overlooked due to Graeme MerzThe team’s subsequent crash in the fourth quarter, but if Tyree hadn’t given Notre Dame that lead by turning a 13-10 deficit into a 17-13 lead, Mertz would never have had to fall into such despair. There is a very real chance the Irish won’t make it to the 2021 playoffs if Tyree doesn’t break a return touchdown from a 96-yard start.

All of this means that Estimé and Diggs overtook Tyree due to their strengths and improvements, not any perceived Tyree struggles.