After two underwhelming seasons in South Bend, tight end Ben Koyack began to emerge last season, a steady blocker who also became a productive option in the passing game. But the unanticipated departure for of Troy Niklas to the NFL changed Koyack’s role in the Irish offense from complementary to essential, and the senior tight end has a lot on his shoulders entering his final season at Notre Dame.
The only tight end on the roster with any playing experience, Koyack will be a key cog in the Irish attack. Capable of playing attached to the line or split wide, Koyack has the talent to continue Notre Dame’s run of producing top-level tight ends to the NFL Draft.
But to do that, he’ll have to build on a junior season that saw Koyack significantly improve, bringing some much needed confidence back to a player that seemed to lose it early in 2012 and never get it back.
Let’s take a look at the Irish’s starting tight end from Oil City, Pennsylvania.
BEN KOYACK
6’5″, 261 lbs.
Senior, No. 18
RECRUITING PROFILE
Koyack was an elite high school prospect, a big-bodied, athletic Top 100 player from Pennsylvania who Notre Dame identified early and won over Penn State, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, USC and others. Koyack was down to the Buckeyes and Irish before he visited for the Blue-Gold game. He watched Notre Dame’s tight ends play and committed to the Irish two days later.
Koyack was Notre Dame’s No. 1 tight end in the country, and Kelly talked about what made him a perfect prospect for the Irish offense.
“We loved Ben Koyack from the very beginning,” Kelly said. “Great size. If you’re going to compare him to anybody, Tyler Eifert…
He’s got all the skills necessary to be a great, great fit within our offensive structure.”
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2011): Played in 12 games, starting against Air Force. Caught one pass for five yards against Pittsburgh. Also contributed on special teams.
Sophomore Season (2012): Appeared in 12 games, starting the BCS Championship game against Alabama as part of a three-tight end set. Made three catches for 39 yards on the season. Appeared to struggle with confidence after early drops against Navy in the season opener, but still contributed as a third tight end behind Tyler Eifert and Troy Niklas.
Junior Season (2013): Played in all 13 games for Notre Dame, starting five. Made 10 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Finished behind only Will Fuller and Corey Robinson in yards per catch, averaging 17.1 yards a touch. Notre Dame won all three games Koyack scored in. Had a career-high four catches against Pitt.
UPSIDE POTENTIAL
For a guy with only 14 career catches, there’s a reason why experts see a big senior season coming from Koyack. Even without Notre Dame’s trend towards producing elite-level tight ends, Koyack has everything you want out of an NFL tight end. The size to play attached. The speed and athleticism to make a difference in the passing game.
All that being said, entering his fourth year of college football, potential will only get him so far. And Koyack has had some big drops in his career, with his Navy game in 2012 seemingly sinking his sophomore season before the year even started.
Yet Koyack seems to be a changed man, with a leadership role looking like a perfect fit. (Potentially a dark horse for captaincy?) Kelly talked about Koyack being the receiver who could drive the offense this spring. Pete Sampson at Irish Illustrated commented on Koyack’s work at Irish Invasion during a recent podcast, coaching up high schoolers with the confidence of a team leader.
Koyack might not be Niklas from a sheer athletic perspective. But he’s worthy of an NFL Draft pick, and a big season could see him make a move up draft boards quickly.
CRYSTAL BALL
Some guys take longer than others to develop. And walking into a program that just had Kyle Rudolph picked as the first tight end off the board in the draft and turned Tyler Eifert into an All-American, personal expectations were likely high for Koyack. And while he hasn’t lived up to the Top 100 billing that he entered with, a lot of it is a product of opportunity.
That opportunity has arrived. And in an Irish spread attack that should allow Koyack to get some very favorable coverage matchups, there’s no better bet for a statistical breakout year than the senior tight end.
Digging a little deeper, the chemistry between Koyack and Everett Golson will be crucial. It took a bit of time for Golson to properly utilize Eifert, even as the team’s only true one-on-one playmaker. Koyack doesn’t have those skills, but he also won’t have a bullseye on his back, either.
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