Kmet Shows Value, Looks Forward To Improvement

In a top ten, primetime matchup in a rowdy SEC environment, it’s understandable for any player to be nervous on the first play of the game. But for Cole Kmet, coming off a collarbone injury that kept him out of the first two games of the season, he knew what was coming and he was prepared.
 
“I knew the ball was coming to me on the first play since Thursday,” the 6’5”, 250 lb tight end spoke. “Coach Long put together his first nine plays and he wanted to get me going early, so I knew I’d be a part of the offense early on.”
 
Kmet broke his collarbone early in Notre Dame’s fall camp in Culver, Indiana, an injury that usually keeps players out for 5-8 weeks. For any player, the first game back from an injury can be nerve-wracking. But Kmet, who came back ahead of schedule, was ready for action last Saturday.
 
“I had the mindset of you just have to go for it,” the junior said. “They told me it was going to hold up, so I just went for it. The doctors came up to me on Sunday that they were holding their breath after the first hit, but I just popped right up and they breathed a sigh of relief. It got my confidence up for sure. That was the first hit I’d taken since camp, so it felt good.”
 
Cole Kmet led the team with nine catches for 108 yards in a heartbreaking 23-17 loss to the No.3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Although disappointed with the end result, Kmet was happy with his performance and is excited about the rest of the season for him and the entire Fighting Irish offense.
 
“I picked up right where I wanted to and that’s a good start to the rest of the season,” said Kmet.
 
For Kmet to be fully healed in time for the Georgia game is impressive in its own right, but to come out against an SEC front seven in his first start and put up over 100 yards is almost unthinkable. According to him, it required staying in shape during the entire recovery practice to be prepared to return.
 
“The main thing was keeping my conditioning level and weight up during my recovery time, so once I was fully healed, I could jump right back in ready to play,” explained Kmet. “I felt no tightness or anything the rest of the game, so I’m pretty close to 100%.”
 
Kmet snagged Notre Dame’s first touchdown on a 4th down play in the second quarter on a ball that appeared to be intended for Tony Jones. In the eyes of Kmet, though, it was just him making a move on a broken play.
 
“The play broke down, and I saw the ball and took it,” Kmet explained. “It felt good to contribute to the offense early on and get us on the board.”
 
Cole Kmet, along with classmate Brock Wright, represented two of Notre Dame’s most highly rated tight end recruits over the past decade. Notre Dame’s reputation for developing NFL tight ends was a huge draw for him.
 
“Their reputation with tight ends is a huge reason why I came here,” stated Kmet. “I got to talk to Kyle Rudolph when he came back, which further cements that.”
 
Irish fans saw a glimpse of the future with Tommy Tremble’s impressive plays against Louisville and Georgia. Kmet views his presence as a leader to the younger tight ends very importantly, just as his predecessors showed him the ropes.
 
“Thankfully I had Durham [Smythe] and [Nic] Weishar to help me around, so they’re going to look to the older guys like me and Brock, so we’ll show them how to do things,” Kmet said.
 
Finally, even after a great showing last Saturday, Kmet still sees some areas for improvement throughout the season.
 
“Blocking is one thing I can get better at,” Kmet said. “There’s always something to work on, even route running and footwork.”