Replace and Reload: Replacing Michael Mayer Will Be A Team Effort For Notre Dame
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Notre Dame lost one of the program's best ever players when junior Michael Mayer announced his decision to leave for the NFL Draft. This was an expected move for Mayer, who has been college football's best tight ends the last two seasons.
Notre Dame now has to go through the monumental task of replacing Mayer. The Irish program has gotten used to replacing big time tight ends over the years, but not since Tyler Eifert left following the 2012 season has the program had to replace a player this good, and this productive.
The Irish return a talented group of pass catchers, but there isn't one player that will be tasked with replacing Mayer. The reason is simple, there isn't one player on the roster, and perhaps in all of college football, that can single handedly replace Mayer.
Notre Dame will need to get the offense to make a big jump next season without its best player. It won't be easy, but that's the task for the Irish.
WHAT WAS LOST
Notre Dame loses a lot with Mayer, and it goes beyond his production, but the conversation has to begin with the production.
Mayer was without question Notre Dame's top receiving option in 2022, and at times it looked as though he was the only option. The Kentucky native finished the season with 67 catches for 809 yards and nine touchdowns. Those nine touchdowns are a program record for a tight end, and the catches and yards marks are second all-time for a season single, behind only Mayer's 71 catches and 840 yards from a season ago.
He ended his career as Notre Dame's all-time tight end leader with 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Mayer improved his blocking in 2022, which also must be replaced.
Beyond the on-field production, Mayer was a team captain and a tremendous leader for the Irish last season. I've heard impressive stories about how he encouraged and challenged younger players, and his tremendous work ethic is well known.
WHAT RETURNS
Let's first take a look at the expected tight end roster in 2023.
The biggest concern when looking at next season is the overall lack of production from the tight end roster. Notre Dame returns just eight catches and 91 yards from the group.
DOES EVANS TRANSITION
Once he returned from injury, sophomore Mitchell Evans was immediately thrust into the second tight end role. What makes the Notre Dame tight end depth chart unique is that Notre Dame actually has two different tight end positions, the H and the F. That means Mayer and Evans didn't actually play the same spot, much like the W and X receivers are different positions.
So the first question that must be asked is if Evans will transition over and play in the role Mayer had. That means instead of being more of an attached player, Evans would be asked to move around more than he did a season ago. Whether or not Evans has the pass catching ability to help replace Mayer in this role remains to be seen. Evans was a high school quarterback and he's been primarily used as a blocker at Notre Dame. He's caught just two passes in two seasons.
Evans is a quality athlete when healthy, so the potential is there for him to develop into that kind of role. I'm sure he'll get a chance to become "the guy" at tight end this offseason, and he gets first crack at it in the bowl game against South Carolina. Part of whether or not he steps into that role will be how well he performs in that role, and the other part is if another player shows himself to be the best option there, which would leave Evans in his current role.
If Evans makes the move look for a sophomore (see below) or freshman Cooper Flanagan to step into the blocking role. Another player to watch is Kevin Bauman, who was the number two tight end behind Mayer prior to his season-ending injury. Bauman has struggled to stay healthy during his career, but his skillset is ideally suited for the role that Mayer had.
SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
Notre Dame landed a pair of very talented tight ends in the 2022 class, and both Holden Staes and Eli Raridon worked their way into the rotation as true freshman. Both will get a chance to step into far more prominent roles next season.
Staes should get a chance to earn even more playing time in the bowl game as both Bauman and Raridon are out for the remainder of the season with injuries. Notre Dame is likely going to be able to reinvent itself as an 11 personnel team in 15 practices, so the odds are good that Staes will be counted on for more.
The 6-4, 226-pound freshman is a talented athlete and has the pass catching skills that fit well into the position that Mayer manned the last three seasons. He's not the physical player that Mayer is, but he's smooth, athletic and has a bit more speed than Mayer brought to the table. Should Staes emerge as the top tight end his role would look different than Mayer's, but with a strong offseason in the weight room and with more good coaching from Gerad Parker I could see Staes making a significant jump in production.
If not for his knee injury I would not have been surprised at all to see Raridon become the top tight end next season. At the very least Raridon would have been poised to step into a more prominent number two role with the opportunity to eventually become "the guy" at the position. His second knee injury in less than a year is a cause for concern, and the timing of his return is unknown at the time.
I'd be surprised if Raridon is back for the start of the 2023 season, but when he does get back to health he'll get a chance to earn a key role.
BERRONG IS THE WILD CARD
A player I have my eye on for next season is sophomore Cane Berrong. A knee injury as a true freshman cost him the entire 2022 offseason, and he wasn't cleared until about halfway through the 2022 season. Berrong is healthy now, and if he chooses to return for next season he could make some noise.
Berrong is a natural fit in the pass catching role that Mayer leaves behind. The 6-3, 243-pound sophomore is an outstanding route runner for his age with well above average speed and impressive ball skills. If given the opportunity I could see Berrong pushing for a pass catching role in the offense.
Despite not being the biggest guy at the position, Berrong has potential to be at minimum a solid blocker on the edge and a strong blocker in space and on the second level.
BIGGER ROLES FOR THE WIDEOUTS
The tight ends won't be able to replace Mayer's production all by themselves. Notre Dame's running backs could see their pass game role take a jump, but it's the wideouts that will need to make a major leap in production and fill the void left by Mayer, and hopefully more.
Sophomore Deion Colzie and freshman Tobias Merriweather have the talent to become impact players. Sophomore Lorenzo Styles has flashed playmaking potential despite a disappointing second season. That trio will have a chance to see big jumps next season, and the 6-5 Colzie and 6-4 Merriweather have the size/playmaking potential to take on some of the downfield and clutch situation production that Mayer leaves behind.
Notre Dame is also bringing in the nation's best group of freshman pass catchers next season, and that group will be counted on to provide immediate help.
When sticking strictly to the conversation about replacing Mayer's role and production, a player to watch is sophomore Jayden Thomas. The 6-1 1/2, 215-pound wideout is a strong athlete that does his best work over the middle. I'm not saying he's a tight end, I'm saying that he could easily be used on some of the routes, and in some of the situations that Mayer thrived in during his career.
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