Notre Dame Spring Preview: Tight End
The Notre Dame spring will be different at the tight end position than it will be at other spots, and that could end up being a very good things. Notre Dame will be without starter Mitchell Evans and veteran Kevin Bauman, who are both recovering from injuries sustained in the fall. Evans established himself as an impact player, so with him out, the focus can be on building up the depth behind him.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is also the tight ends position coach, so he'll get an up-close-and-personal look at the position. How well the younger players perform this spring in Evans' absence could have major ramifications on how Denbrock goes about implementing personnel during the fall.
Denbrock has been a heavy 11 personnel coach for much of his career, which means one tight end on the field at a time. There was a couple of seasons at Cincinnati where he veered away from that, and the reason was he had two outstanding tight ends. Will the young tight ends at Notre Dame show Denbrock enough this spring to warrant making 12 personnel a bigger part of the offense? The next 14 practices are going to say a lot about that.
PROJECTED SPRING DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Eli Raridon - 5 catches, 51 yards, 10.2 YPC, 1 TD
Davis Sherwood - 2 catches, 18 yards, 9.0 YPC, 1 TD
Cooper Flanagan - 1 catches, 19 yards, 19.0 YPC, 1 TD
Evans hauled in a team-leading 29 passes for 422 yards and a touchdown last season. His production and impact on the team will be discussed in previews leading into fall camp.
RARIDON GETS HIS SHOT
When Notre Dame signed Eli Raridon as part of the 2022 class it was expected that he would be an impact player for the Irish, and relatively early. A knee injury that he sustained playing basketball during his senior season seemed to slow down some of those expectations, and he injured that same knee during his freshman season at Notre Dame.
With two major injuries in such a short period of time, Raridon has yet to be able to establish himself as a regular part of the rotation. He did some solid things late in the 2023 season, but Raridon's missed time has stunted his development a bit.
Now a junior, Raridon seems to be at a point where he has gone the longest of his career without a major injury. If that continues, this spring will give him a chance to make some major noise. Raridon has an elite size + speed combination, and we even saw that at times late last season. The lack of development is more about the technical part of the game, and on top of staying healthy, that is where Raridon needs the most work.
Raridon had some excellent blocking moments last season, and other times when he struggled. In almost every instance where he got beat it had to do with something technical. This spring will be about him becoming a more technically refined player as a blocker and route runner. If Raridon can accomplish that, and stay healthy while doing it, he could end up being one of the team's breakout players this spring.
FLANAGAN CAN MAKE A MOVE
Cooper Flanagan made his presence felt immediate in 2023, and this spring he'll try to force himself into a more prominent role. As a rookie, Flanagan's impressive blocking allowed him to work into a rotation spot. Flanagan earned 160 snaps as a rookie, with blocking being his primary focus.
As you'd expect from a first year player, there were some ups and downs, but overall Flanagan had an impressive first season. He has already established himself as a force in the run game, and the odds are good he'll only get better as he gets older, stronger, and more technically enhanced. This trait alone will likely result in Flanagan being a regular member of the rotation his entire career.
The question moving forward is will Flanagan be a career blocker, or can he establish himself as an all-around tight end. Flanagan has dropped some weight since his freshman season, and the expectation is it should allow him to run a bit better. Flanagan was a quality athlete before, but if he can add a step as he slowly puts good weight back on, he'll have a chance to flash even more.
Flanagan has strong hands, but he wasn't used much as a receiver in high school either. He has the tools to be a productive weapon in the pass game, and that is what he'll need to show this spring if he wants to lock down a more prominent role, and not just one of blocker. Raridon will certainly get plenty of attention this spring, but don't be surprised if Flanagan shows off good pass catching skills this spring and makes some noise.
DEPTH BATTLES WILL BE INTERESTING
There are a lot of younger players and quality walk ons behind these two that will be jockeying for position. The one veteran of this group - Davis Sherwood - will look to improve his blocking and get back to more H-Back reps. He's a solid pass catcher, but his blocking was a bit too inconsistent last season.
Freshman Jack Larsen will get a lot more reps this spring with both Evans and Bauman out. He isn't a top level athlete, but Larsen is an advanced route runner and has elite ball skills. If he can handle the weight he's put on and still move well, Larsen has the kind of pass catching skills to turn some heads this spring.
A player to keep an eye on is walk-on Henry Garrity. The son of former Irish hoops player Pat Garrity, Henry turned down FBS scholarship offers to come play for Notre Dame, so he's not your stereotypical walk-on. Garrity might still be a year away from a weight and strength standpoint, but he's athletic and can catch the ball.
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