Parker is up for the Challenge of Pushing Mayer, Irish Tight Ends to Next Level
In the eyes of his peers, new Notre Dame tight ends coach Gerad Parker has the easiest gig on head coach Marcus Freeman’s staff.
Parker gets to coach a loaded position group, which includes a first-round talent in Michael Mayer and a host of former four-star prospects.
“Gerad Parker has the best job in the world,” Stuckey said. “Write that down, Gerad Parker has the best job in the world. He comes in, and these beautiful, Greek gods just walk in the room.”
All kidding aside, it’s a blessing to inherit an All-American player like Mayer but, at the same time, it comes with a challenge.
How do you teach someone who’s already considered the premier tight end in college football?
Apparently, it’s all in the details.
"He's a juice guy. He brings a lot of energy,” Mayer said. “His biggest thing is details. It’s ‘one more step on that route. Your foot is in the wrong place on that block, try to move it six inches to the left.’ All sorts of things I've never really thought of as a football player.”
Mayer is extra motivated to absorb as much feedback as Parker is willing to give him, especially after attending Tight End University over the summer. While there, he spent time with Kerry Kittle, Travis Kelce and a host of other current and former NFL tight ends.
For as advanced as Mayer’s game is, he saw there how far he still needs to progress to compete on the same field as them.
“The first thing I knew when I got out of there was ‘Dang, I got to get better at some stuff,’” Mayer said. “These guys were getting out of their breaks faster than me, they were getting up to catch balls. I think that was one of the reasons I wanted to go. “What do these guys do differently than I do? How do they get out of their breaks faster than I do?”
Mayer took fervent notes and brought them back to Parker to discuss and share with the rest of the tight end room. Parker has since taken Mayer’s notes and new goals and incorporated those into his coaching.
"[Coach Parker] has been great for me,” Mayer said. “I've learned so much from him.”
Of course, Notre Dame will still employ plenty of multiple tight end sets this fall, and older-yet-inexperienced players like junior Kevin Bauman must step up as well.
Bauman dealt with injuries throughout his first two seasons, so when Parker arrived this spring, he was ready to make up for lost time on the practice field.
“Especially after missing last season and all that, I was ready to go,” Bauman said. “Whatever it took to get my game to the level it had to be at to contribute, I was ready for it. Of course, it takes a little getting used to just relationship-wise and stuff, but I couldn't have been more ready to accept that coaching and just roll with it and go. It just happened to fit so well, that it was a little seamless.”
He is also motivated by the words of former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, who last year referred to Bauman as a bull in a China shop.
“That's something that I kind of took to heart a little bit. Yes, it was the truth,” Bauman said. “Coach Parker has this saying, 'the truth, the work, the results.' That's something he's really big on, and that's something that I've kind of adopted. You've got to understand the truth, first who you are as a player, a person, or whatever it may be.
“You put in that work based on who you are, and the results will come.”
Based on comments from Parker and his teammates, Bauman has shown significant growth this year in both the pass and run game.
In addition to his hard work and ambition, he gives Parker credit for his direct teaching and instant feedback.
“It's something that I've never really experienced before,” Bauman said, “and it's something that I feel like he's helped me grow a tremendous amount, as a player both on the field, off the field, and in the film [room].”
Freshmen Staes, Raridon Impress
Parker also has plenty of talent to work with in freshman tight ends Holden Staes and Eli Raridon.
“What a great job that staff has done recruiting that position,” Parker said. “Let's be honest, and the two guys are great-looking kids. They're eager. They work. They want to learn, they want to be great.”
After his senior season of high school football, 247 Sports ranked Raridon as the No. 2 tight end in the country. At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, he’s agile, runs well and possesses impressive ball skills.
Even as a freshman, there’s a good chance he can help Notre Dame on the field in the pass game, but when asked about Raridon’s skillset, Parker first raved about Raridon’s potential as a blocker.
“He already has the ability to build this great base with his body and feet in the ground,” Parker said. “He is already strong and physically gifted with his weight. He's going to be able to really own the line of scrimmage and become a really, really exceptional player on the line of scrimmage in the run game.”
Staes was a four-star prospect in his own right and should see the field this fall.
“[He has] elite ball skills and elevates and catches the ball above his head as good as anybody I've coached or been around. Great feet. He’s learning how to have a good route plan. If he does that, and then can be an adequate blocker, which has shown that he isn't scared to stick his face in it and he's eager, there are reasons to believe that both of them are going to be good players.”
With Mayer likely off to the NFL in 2023, the Notre Dame tight end room should be in good hands for seasons to come, especially under the tutelage of Parker.
“I kind of see my freshman self in them a little bit,” Mayer said. “You can catch and run after the ball. I remember my freshman year in those shallows, I’d just catch and run. Both of those guys can run. They have a little bit of weight to put on; more muscle to get. They can run, they’re going to be fast, they’re going to be strong. Notre Dame tight ends will be set up for a good amount of time.”
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 12oz. Low Ball Tumbler and 2.5oz. Ceramic Shooter Set
