Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer Sets History and Tone in Vegas
Notre Dame will leave Las Vegas with a 28-20 win over No. 16 BYU on Saturday night and All-American tight end Michael Mayer has yet another Fighting Irish record.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder tallied 11 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the victory while also becoming the school’s all-time leader in receptions for a tight end as he topped Tyler Eifert’s record of 141.
“Very, very grateful,” stated Mayer. “I’ve been around a ton of good football coaches and players that have gotten me to this point starting in the fifth grade. I’m very grateful. Tremendous people here at the University of Notre Dame who have gotten to this point.”
What allowed Mayer to get to this point?
Work. And work with Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne as the duo arrived together in 2020.
“A lot of practice,” said Mayer. “He’s throwing me balls in practice, but we’re staying after practice. It’s a lot of practice and repetition. It works. It really does.”
Pyne, who finished Saturday’s game 22-of-28 for 262 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, targeted Mayer 15 times. It may have been one too many as he threw a pick into double-coverage, but he could have also gone to him five more times.
“He’s kind of uncoverable,” said Pyne. “Coach Rees gets Mike in such an unbelievable position to succeed and then Mike absolutely dominates whoever is in front of him. For me, having such a great offensive line and finding Mike a couple of times was unbelievable in big moments.
“He’s an unbelievable player and my best friend. It’s really cool to be out there with Mike. I’m happy he’s on our team.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman also is quick to highlight Mayer’s work ethic and it’s second to none and why he earned a captain role this fall.
“He’s special, man,” explained Freeman. “He’s a special football player and the hardest worker. When your best player is the hardest worker, that’s a great example you can have for young guys and your entire team. I’m just going to continue to push him.”
Notre Dame now improves to 3-2 on the year and is over .500 for the first time this season, but don’t expect Mayer and his team to relax with Stanford is quickly approaching.
“It is going,” Mayer said. “At this point, it’s going where we want it to go. We’re really going to try to stack wins and practicing the way we’ve practiced. We kind of have to have that mentality that no one is going to stop us the rest of the season and try to win out. That’s what we’re doing.
“Coach Free isn’t going to change anything up. We’re going to do the same exact stuff we’ve done all season and we’re going to keep trying to win ball games.”
Mayer has been a playmaker since the first day he stepped on campus, but he knows there is also another level he can reach.
“I feel like no matter what the defense is doing at a certain part of the game, Coach Rees will set me up to make a big play and I have to be there to make the big play,” Mayer stated. “Drew has to be there to make the big throw. That happened 11 times tonight.
“I really believe in Coach Rees and Drew. These defenses - I don’t think about that. I come out here and play my best ball and try to get a W.”
As for what’s next, Mayer will continue to work and it’s on Notre Dame’s staff to continue to challenge the nation’s best tight end.
“Coach Parker and Coach Rees have done a great job of still developing him,” said Freeman. “He’s still not a finished product and that’s tough to say about a guy that is going to have every record for tight ends. He understands that and he wants to be pushed.
“That’s the thing about Michael Mayer. He’s one of the great ones that doesn’t want to be told when he does well and that’s what makes him special.”
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