The next Notre Dame Fighting Irish player in the player profile series is - the one and only - #80 Durham Smythe. The 5th year senior is the returning starter at tight end, presumably alongside Alizé Mack. At 6’6 and 256 lbs, he presents a massive target for first year starter Brandon Wimbush. He brings 137 career yards along with 5 touchdowns in production to this offense. This is admittedly a meager career total, but he has been an important piece of the puzzle for Notre Dame’s offense. At 6’6 and 256 lbs, he presents a massive target for first year starter Brandon Wimbush.
3 Things to Know about Durham Smythe
- He is from Belton, Texas. This happens to be the same hometown of New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson.
- He was recently named to the John Mackey Award Watch List, along with fellow Notre Dame tight end Alizé Mack.
- He is majoring in sociology. Studying social problems in addition to studying defenses? Impressive.
YouTube Hot Fire
This is an interesting - albeit very brief - exclusive with Smythe that really helps you to get a sense of who he is as a person.
I, Gallagher, Dub Thee...
Durham, “The Texas Titan”, Smythe. Smythe is a big dude, as were Titans, and he is from Texas. This one just made too much sense not to use.
2017 Outlook
Expecting an explosive, Eifert-esque season from Smythe would be unreasonable. However, under tight end guru Chip Long, anything is possible. So if Mack doesn’t produce as a receiver like expected, Smythe may end up picking up the slack and having a big year. At the absolute least, though, Smythe will be a solid contributor to this offense while on the field as a well-rounded option at tight end. Provided he stays healthy, he will be of significant assistance in making this offense run smoothly in his final year at Notre Dame.