Life after Ben Koyack begins. And really, come 2015 we head into the first year of the Brian Kelly era where the tight end position is somewhat of a question mark.
While Koyack will likely continue Notre Dame’s streak of producing NFL tight ends when he’s drafted this weekend, the 1,000 snap workhorse was a notch below predecessors Troy Niklas, Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph. But he was an every-down player for Kelly’s offense, and while there were some deficiencies in his blocking and pass-catching, the players behind him are still unproven.
This spring, Durham Smythe emerged as Koyack’s successor. It was a later arrival than many expected for Smythe, who had larger expectations heaped on him, mainly because of the success of No. 2 tight ends the past few years. (In retrospect, that should’ve been a credit to Eifert and Niklas, elite athletes that both forced their way onto the field early, and took advantage of top-heavy depth charts.)
Though Scott Booker‘s position group has little experience, it’s a talent-rich position. And while Smythe appears to be a capable candidate to be a leading man, the reality of the position group leads many to believe it’ll be ensemble work for a diverse set of talent.
Let’s take a look at the post-spring depth chart and stock report for the tight ends.
POST-SPRING DEPTH CHART
1. Durham Smythe, Jr.* (6-4.5, 245)
2. Tyler Luatua, Soph. (6-2.5, 250)
3. Nic Weishar, Soph.* (6-4, 241)
4. Mike Heuerman, Jr.* (6-3.5, 225)
or Chase Houshell, GS (6-4.5, 255)
*Denotes fifth-year of eligibility
STOCK UP
Durham Smythe: With Signing Day excitement and viral videos having Irish fans excited about the impending arrival of Alizé Jones, Smythe’s emergence as the team’s No. 1 tight end this spring got lost a bit in the wash. But the Texas native stepped forward and looks to be the most complete tight end on the depth chart.
It might be hard to believe, but some think Smythe could be an upgrade over Koyack, a confusing notion considering the amount of snaps that Koyack took while Smythe kept the sidelines company. But he’s big enough to hold his own along the line of scrimmage and seems to be a more capable downfield receiver than Koyack was.
Still, we’ve got no body of work to grade the rising junior on. But with three seasons of eligibility remaining, Smythe’s got plenty of time to become a top-flight tight end, and that could start this fall.
STOCK NEUTRAL
Tyler Luatua: After starting for Notre Dame in a two-tight end set against LSU, Luatua came into spring with considerable expectations. Leaned down to 250 pounds to help make his mark in the passing game, it’s still hard to see Luatua serving as anything but an attached blocker in 2015, part of the passing game only in roll-out or play-action situations.
That’s not a knock on a physical player who could do his best work serving as a sixth offensive lineman. And with four full months in the weight room ahead, Luatua has perhaps the most clearly defined role in front of him—adding muscle to a running attack that should be very good this fall.
This might be a tough grade, but it’s still tough to see a full-time role for Luatua.
Nic Weishar: After redshirting as a freshman, Weishar made a nice catch late in the Blue-Gold game, reminding everybody that the prolific Chicagoland receiver was ready to try to make his mark on the Irish depth chart. With good length and great hands, Weishar should be an option to play the detached tight end position, though he’ll likely be competing with Smythe and Jones for those reps, an uphill climb.
At 241 pounds, Weishar looks to have built on a frame that desperately needed to add bulk to compete at the college level as a tight end. Until we see more of him in the trenches, we won’t know for sure if he can handle the multiplicity of the position or if he’s relegated to red zone and outside duties. But with some instability at a position that’ll likely be a little lighter come fall, Weishar made some great progress during his first year in the program, though there’s work still to be done.
STOCK DOWN
Chase Hounshell: This might be a harsh assessment of Hounshell’s spring, considering every coach who talked about the fifth-year prospect—Brian Kelly included—had nothing but good things to say about his effort and intentions. But with a roster crunch and no certain playing time in front of him, Hounshell spent Notre Dame’s 15 practices auditioning for another program, a long shot to return to South Bend.
The market for Hounshell’s services may be limited at Notre Dame, but with two seasons likely ahead of him thanks to a medical redshirt certainly well earned, Hounshell has an opportunity to rescuitate his career somewhere else. After an injury-plagued four years along the defensive line for the Irish, it’s hard to believe Kelly will keep a fifth-year player who only now started to show leadership traits when he’s got the opportunity to bring Ishaq Williams back to campus.
So Hounshell likely has football in front of him. But barring something surprising, it doesn’t look like it’ll be played in South Bend.
Mike Heuerman: Perhaps the most puzzling player on offense this spring, Heuerman was a forgotten man for the Irish. When asked about the tight ends, Kelly mentioned everybody but the Florida native, leading many to believe a transfer is in order.
At 6-3.5 and 225-pounds, Heuerman is a smaller Michael Floyd trying to play in the trenches—only without Floyd’s athleticism. That he’s been unable to gain any weight to his frame in South Bend is a huge mystery, though a variety of injuries have kept him from making forward progress in his career.
While Michael Deeb and Doug Randolph have taken snaps at weakside defensive end trying to find their way onto the field, I expected the Irish to kick the tires on Heuerman at that position as well. He earned All-State honors in high school as a havoc-wreaker off the edge, though he was recruited based on potential as a tight end by many of the finest programs in the country.
At this point, it doesn’t look like that potential will be reached. And what happens with Heuerman’s career is still a mystery. With three years of eligibility remaining, it’s unfair to bury him just yet. But at best he’ll be a niche player in the Irish offense, an H-back type in a system that’s used an H-back for maybe a dozen plays over the past five years.
OVERALL TREND
Buy. While the tight end position returns literally one catch to the depth chart, it’s hard to look at this position and not be intrigued. Ultimately, your viewpoint on this group hinges on what you see in Durham Smythe and what you think will be coming with Alizé Jones.
While Koyack held his own last season and will always be remembered for his clutch game-winning touchdown against Stanford, the Irish will be just fine with Smythe taking over. And if the Irish platoon Smythe and Tyler Luatua—who’ll be a blocking upgrade almost immediately—they might be taking a step forward.
Adding Jones to the mix this June is critical. Per his own Twitter feed, he’s up to 238 pounds and snagging one-handed footballs like it’s a hobby. It’s hard to see a world where he’s not an immediate contributor, and the Irish staff believes they have a future star.
So regardless of what happens with Hounshell and Heuerman, a four-man depth chart that finds snaps for Smythe, Luatua, Weishar and Jones is a pretty good place to be.
Would you like to have some past performance? Of course. But Finance 101 reminds us all that past performance isn’t indicative of future results. I’m bullish on this group.