The most prolific tight end in Notre Dame history ends his Irish career with a catch in every one of the 36 games he appeared in, a testament to his consistency despite defenses knowing to key on him more plays than not. Junior Michael Mayer announced Wednesday he will enter the NFL draft despite having two years of eligibility remaining and will skip No. 21 Notre Dame’s Gator Bowl matchup (Dec. 30; 3:30 ET; ABC) against No. 19 South Carolina.
Mayer holds every career and season record for tight ends in Irish history, a remarkable feat when realizing Notre Dame is called “TE U” for a reason, part of the reason he went to South Bend at all.
“I’ve really enjoyed my experience at Notre Dame,” Mayer told ESPN. “The first reason I picked Notre Dame was the NFL, it was on my mind a very, very long time. I saw a lot of good tight ends in the NFL from Notre Dame. That was one of the main reasons I went there.”
Mayer caught 67 passes for 809 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022, all leading the Irish even though no other receiving threat consistently drew coverage away from the All-American.
He ends his career with 180 catches in 36 games for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns. Only Michael Floyd (271) and TJ Jones (181) have caught more passes in Notre Dame history, both taking four years to do so.
The best to ever do it
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 7, 2022
Thank you, Michael. pic.twitter.com/lhneFuMvlU
Without Mayer against the Gamecocks, sophomore Mitchell Evans likely will get the start, possibly his first expanded role aside from the quarterback-sneak package that was successful 6-of-8 times this season. Evans has not caught a pass yet this season, though he snagged two for 21 yards as a freshman.
In addition to his increased role, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees may turn to his three running backs more often, lining up sophomore Logan Diggs or junior Chris Tyree in the slot in Mayer’s absence while one or two of the other backs remain in the backfield.
Next season, the Irish will have a handful of tight ends to turn to, with current junior Kevin Bauman, sophomore Cane Berrong and freshman Eli Raridon joining Evans all finally fully healthy after various injuries limited each of the three in the last calendar year. Freshman Holden Staes will be in that mix, as well.
Some NFL draft previews consider Mayer a top-10 pick, and even if he does not go that high, he should be the highest tight end drafted in Notre Dame history. In 2013, Tyler Eifert was selected No. 21 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.
A year ago, Florida product Kyle Pitts was selected No. 4 overall, meaning Mayer is unlikely to set a new position standard.