One of fall camp’s biggest surprises, tight end Nic Weishar has taken off his redshirt and is intent on making up for lost time. In a position battle that lacks a returning starter (or anybody with any significant experience), Weishar is making sure that the coaching staff sees him as a viable option to contribute, especially in the pass game.
A year after coming on campus looking more like a basketball player than somebody on the football team, Weishar still lacks some of the heft you’d want from a starting tight end. But he has made great strides in Paul Longo’s weight room, and it’s opened up opportunities for Weishar to make an impact in a crowded group of offensive skill players.
NIC WEISHAR
6'4", 241 lbs.
Sophomore, No. 82, TE
RECRUITING PROFILE
A first-team All-State player in Illinois, Weishar was a U.S. Army All-American and a four-star prospect. He had offers from Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma though picked Notre Dame early in the process.
Kelly called him “the finest pass catching tight end we saw” on Signing Day.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2014): Did not see action.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
Pretty much exactly what happen.I don’t see Weishar getting into a game this year. It just doesn’t make sense as long as Koyack, Durham Smythe, Mike Heuerman and Tyler Luatua all stay healthy. A year off will give Weishar a chance to get to know Paul Longo and his staff.
It’ll also give the Irish coaching staff an opportunity to balance their roster. With Smythe, Heuerman and Luatua all locks to play, holding Weishar back makes it easier to manage the roster, especially trying to keep the tight end recruiting even moving forward.
There’s a bright future ahead for Weishar. But it isn’t likely to happen in 2014.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
At this point, it’s hard not to adjust your expectations upwards after hearing early reports on Weishar’s game. While I don’t think he’s the athletic freak that Kyle Rudolph or Tyler Eifert were, Weishar certainly has a knack for catching the football, and even if he isn’t 6-foot-5, a 240-pounder who knows how to use his 6-foot-4 frame certainly isn’t an easy cover.
Finding his way onto the field is the biggest challenge in 2015, especially if he isn’t overly capable as a blocker. As the Irish look for ways to get all of their wide receiving talent onto the field, it looks like Scott Booker’s got a guy who also needs to get into the rotation.
CRYSTAL BALL
This might not sound like high praise, but I think we need to set modest expectations for Weishar this season. To that point, I think 10 to 15 catches sounds about right, though the sophomore can feel free to blow right past that number if he feels like it.
Weishar’s been a handful during camp, reportedly dominating the second-team defense and linebackers in coverage. As Durham Smythe and Alize Jones have been limited in camp, it’s allowed Weishar to take some first-team reps as well.
The red zone could be the X factor for Weishar, and will obviously be one of the keys to the Irish offense. While you’d expect the Irish to lean heavily on the running game near the goal line, Weishar is one of many great pass options to consider, as long as the staff has faith in the decision-making skills of Malik Zaire.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR
Trevor Ruhland, OL
CJ Sanders, WR
Joe Schmidt, LB
Avery Sebastian, S
Elijah Shumate, S
Jaylon Smith, LB
Durham Smythe, TE
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR
Ronnie Stanley, LT
Elijah Taylor, DL
Brandon Tiassum, DL
Jerry Tillery, DL
Drue Tranquill, S
Andrew Trumbetti, DE
John Turner, S
Nick Watkins, CB