The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2021 season.

#87 Michael Mayer, TE

Next up for the Fighting Irish is rising Sophomore Tight End out of Kentucky, Michael Mayer. Mayer stands at 6’4, 250, and is coming off of one of the more impressive freshman campaigns of any player in Irish history, especially at Tight End. He was named to nearly every freshman All-American team, and is the returning leader in receptions and yards for the Irish. He finished his debut season with an impressive 42 catches, 450 yards, and 2 touchdowns. By all accounts, Mayer heads into 2021 as the focal point of the offense and will make everyone around him significantly better. He will draw so much attention and can line up all over the field.....I expect Jack Coen to lean heavily on Mayer, particularly early in the season.

One of the most impressive things is that teams knew when he was getting the ball on crossing routes, but he just didn’t care. The amount of tackles broken on third down was incredible, and it seemed like this happened every. single. game.

This will absolutely open up things in 2021 for other players, but he is the type of guy you can feed the ball no matter how many defenders are on him.

The Restaurant That Fits

Fogo De Chao

Fogo De Chao is an all you can eat Brazilian Steakhouse that is truly a place of wonder. You get a token that is green (more meat) or flipped to red (too stuffed to move). Mayer would put this place out of business tbh.....I have to assume he would eat until they ran out of meat. Like that, Tommy Rees and the Irish must feed Mayer all season long. Also, shoutout the fried plantains at any Brazilian Steakhouse....they are the real MVP.

2021 Outlook

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Mayer will be one of the major the focal point of the Irish offense and should lead the Irish in touchdown receptions. With a year of experience and another year under Matt Balis, he should be stronger, faster, and have a better feel for the offense. He will terrorize opposing defenses and will be used as a weapon all over the field. Look for Notre Dame to get him more involved in both the vertical passing game as well as red-zone packages. I expect Coach Rees to move him around and force defenses to game plan around him, which should open up things for the unproven WR core. I expect him to be a Mackey award finalist and finish as a first or second team All American. His last season will be 2022 and he will most likely be a day 1 NFL draft pick. Like Kyle Hamilton, he is someone we need to cherish, as they will not be around forever. Tight End U remains Strong Folks!