Story Poster
Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Film Don't Lie: Michael Mayer

July 2, 2018
4,879

During The Opening Finals, most eyes are focused on the 2019 class with over 150 elite prospects competing this week in Dallas. But 2020 tight end Michael Mayer rightfully took some attention away from the event when he pulled the trigger and committed to Notre Dame on Sunday.

Tight End who? Tight end U.

He joins Kevin Bauman as one of two 4-star tight ends that are already part of the 2020 recruiting class for the Irish. For most programs, signing one 4-star tight end is rare. For Notre Dame, it happens just about every year. Brian Kelly has signed nine 4-stars at the position and this will be the third time he brings two elite tight end prospects in the same class.

Mayer is a terrific compliment to Bauman. These two have skills that could see them excel on the field at the same time in the future. It will be awhile before anyone sees that, but Notre Dame fans can be excited about the possibilities until then.

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 215

Projected Position: Tight End

ISD Grade: 92 (4-star)

National Average Grade: 91.4 (4 star)

What he does best:

One thing you don’t see from many tight ends is the ability to make plays after the catch. Mayer is an exception to that. He not only shows toughness to bounce off run through tackles like others his size. He also shows the ability to make defenders miss and create extra yards.

via GIPHY

He flashes good ball skills. This particular catch where he shows the body control to go up and attack it and get his toe down in bounds is a perfect example of his potential.

via GIPHY

For someone who is often lined up in the slot and would be considered more of a hybrid, he is a strong blocker. He gets after it. The effort is outstanding and that’s the most important part of the equation. Pancaking a defensive back it still pretty nice, though.

via GIPHY

He is going to be a very positive presence as a perimeter blocker. Mayer plays defense for his team as well and there are things that can be taken from his play there as well. While his snap anticipation needs work, he has some twitch as a defender that not few tight ends have that play both ways for their high school. He’s a good athlete with strong short area quickness.

What he needs to improve:

I love the effort as a blocker. Even when it doesn’t look pretty, the effort is there. He needs to be more consistent with his fit and if he does, he could be potentially grow into an in-line option.

He’s not sharp as a route runner. As a comparison, Bauman has a better understanding of it than Mayer does at this time. He has the athleticism and quickness to develop into a good one, though.

Sometimes he can be a body catcher. At a position that will have to make contested catches often, that has to change.

What’s his ceiling?

Notre Dame’s staff deserves a lot of credit. They targeted Mayer before he blew up as a big time prospect. He was not even ranked at the time he received an offer. Now he’s considered one of the top tight ends in the 2020 cycle and what he does on film backs it up.

He has the chance to be huge asset as a blocker on the perimeter and potentially as an H-back. With Bauman as a likely in-line option, these two could both play different but equally big parts in the Notre Dame offense at the same time.

If not TE1, Mayer can be TE1a. I think he can be a really tough matchup as a receiver and also a difference maker in the short passing and perimeter run game. It’s another great addition to the class and 18 months from now we may be talking about them being as good of a duo as Brock Wright and Cole Kmet were in the 2017 class.

 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.