ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2025!
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Great, he's not even on campus yet and his left arm is injured!
'15 NV TE Aliz'e Mack (Notre Dame Signed NLI)
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Irish Insanity
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Do
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B
Bogtrotter07
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Can anyone post the link for us twitterless tweets?
dshans
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Irish YJ
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TheRealLynch51
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Veritate Duce Progredi
A man gotta have a code
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He looks like the real deal. I feel bad for any TEs that think they are moving towards playing time. It'll be tough fending off Alize
greyhammer90
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Holy sh*t snacks
PANDFAN
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Alizé Jones had two choices:
Catch the football, or pick his teeth out of the grass.
Jones, perhaps Notre Dame’s next big thing at tight end, was 7 years old, and his father, a former baseball player, knew only one way to teach his son how to catch. He threw the football like a pitcher peppering the strike zone — again, again, again.
The kid learned, because he had to.
“He used to just chuck the ball at my face. And eventually, I got used to catching it,” Jones said with a chuckle. “I never really got afraid of how hard the ball was coming at me. I had to use my fingers and not catch with the palm of my hand.”
Now, fast-forward more than a decade. Jones, ranked by some as the finest high school tight end in the country in the 2015 recruiting cycle, stands in a grass field in front of a rash of palm trees in Las Vegas, pumping his arms under the April sun. He wears orange shorts, teal blue socks, bright yellow shoes and no shirt.
But somehow, the flashiest part of the whole ensemble is his hands.
Predictably, a football whizzes in his general direction, and Jones stops it, effortlessly deadening the pigskin in his massive right glove. He flips the ball back, and then it comes again, and he absorbs it like a magnet. It is an extraordinary routine completed with utter nonchalance, a skill sharpened with a decade-old blade. The footballs spray high and wide, and his elastic right arm extends to snag them.
Again. Again. Again.
This — along with his 6-foot-5 frame and 34-inch vertical leap — is why Jones garnered scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgia, Nebraska, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and more. It’s why he piled up 930 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season while playing for prep national champion Bishop Gorman, and no one seemed surprised.
It’s why a skinny freshman is poised to play — and maybe start — in his first season at Notre Dame.
“Cordell Broadus got all of the attention (at Bishop Gorman) last year because he was Snoop Dogg’s son. Jones was a much, much better player,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of the UCLA-bound wide receiver. “And he played the best teams in the country, and every game he looked great. Jones is a legit difference-maker at tight end.”
That may be true, but Jones was the last to see it.
“As a freshman in high school moving up to varsity, I was nervous, because I didn’t really know how good of a player I was,” Jones said. “I was kind of playing football for fun. I didn’t have any dreams of playing in college until my sophomore year, when I got my first offer (from UCLA) and I knew that I was good.
“I was just out there playing.”
Once he recognized his gifts, Jones dedicated himself to improving them. As he grew, the electric tight end got stronger, faster, smarter. Three touchdowns in his sophomore season morphed into 10 the next season, then 13. And as his numbers multiplied, so did the offers.
“My sophomore year, all these articles started coming out,” he explained. “At the time, I was reading them, and I was so excited about the recruiting process. I wanted to meet coaches. Coaches would come in, and I’d be nervous. I had my first interview, and I thought, ‘Man, I could really get used to this lifestyle.’
“I didn’t want that much attention. But at the same time, that’s when I really fell in love with the sport. I love to compete and go hard and really showcase my talent. And I knew I was blessed with a lot. Throughout the season, being able to make plays, people would tell me, ‘Some of the things that you do…you make it look easy.’ It kind of stuck with me. I just really want to show the world what I can do.”
Cue Notre Dame. After initially committing to UCLA, Jones flipped to the Irish in January, swayed by the history of prestige at his position and the opportunities ahead.
Opportunities that extend above the goal posts and beyond the furthest reaches of his blossoming career.
“A lot of people just focus on football and getting out in three years,” Jones said. “But the education is the best of the best, and I’m going to meet so many people there. I’m looking forward to building relationships with students, with players, with teachers. I want to pick their brains, see how they view the world.
“You’re going to be around so many great people, and I think that’s what Notre Dame had to offer that was way better than UCLA. The alumni (base) at Notre Dame is insane. When you’re around success, that’s going to rub off on you, and you’re going to be successful. I want to be pushed, and I know I’m going to be pushed to the limit at Notre Dame.”
When he arrives on campus this summer, Jones will undoubtedly be pushed — academically, and especially athletically. In order to see the field, he will first have to address his biggest knock.
“He didn’t have to do a whole lot (of blocking) at Gorman,” Lemming said. “He’s going to have to, or he’s not going to play.”
Jones, who has shot up from 220 to 238 pounds in recent months, has heard all of the questions, despite an active attempt to avoid reading recruiting stories and perusing message boards at every turn. And since putting his stamp on a remarkable prep career, he has turned to his weaknesses, and started chipping away.
“I’m not too worried about route-running or working against DB’s and linebackers, because that’s going to come. I’m going to get used to the style and speed of college football,” he said. “But I have to make sure I get my blocking down. That’s something that I’m really working hard with, and I’m only going to get better when I get out there.”
There, meaning Notre Dame Stadium.
And, just maybe, across the line from Texas on Sept. 5.
Occasionally, Jones visualizes that day, the moment when hours spent nabbing eye-level passes from his father land him on a national stage. He approaches the transition with an unnatural calm, insisting that his high school jump from JV to varsity was more daunting than the one to come.
He finds that he is more anxious than nervous — an athletic outlier with his eyes set on the prize.
“Lately, a lot of people have been asking me, ‘Are you ready for college? You guys have Texas, USC, Georgia Tech, Clemson.’ I’m really excited,” Jones said. I’m just ready to get going, man.
“I’m shaking, because I’m thinking about the future and everything that can happen if I continue to work and perfect my craft.”
Soon, opposing defensive coordinators may be shaking, too.
Catch the football, or pick his teeth out of the grass.
Jones, perhaps Notre Dame’s next big thing at tight end, was 7 years old, and his father, a former baseball player, knew only one way to teach his son how to catch. He threw the football like a pitcher peppering the strike zone — again, again, again.
The kid learned, because he had to.
“He used to just chuck the ball at my face. And eventually, I got used to catching it,” Jones said with a chuckle. “I never really got afraid of how hard the ball was coming at me. I had to use my fingers and not catch with the palm of my hand.”
Now, fast-forward more than a decade. Jones, ranked by some as the finest high school tight end in the country in the 2015 recruiting cycle, stands in a grass field in front of a rash of palm trees in Las Vegas, pumping his arms under the April sun. He wears orange shorts, teal blue socks, bright yellow shoes and no shirt.
But somehow, the flashiest part of the whole ensemble is his hands.
Predictably, a football whizzes in his general direction, and Jones stops it, effortlessly deadening the pigskin in his massive right glove. He flips the ball back, and then it comes again, and he absorbs it like a magnet. It is an extraordinary routine completed with utter nonchalance, a skill sharpened with a decade-old blade. The footballs spray high and wide, and his elastic right arm extends to snag them.
Again. Again. Again.
This — along with his 6-foot-5 frame and 34-inch vertical leap — is why Jones garnered scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Auburn, Georgia, Nebraska, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and more. It’s why he piled up 930 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last season while playing for prep national champion Bishop Gorman, and no one seemed surprised.
It’s why a skinny freshman is poised to play — and maybe start — in his first season at Notre Dame.
“Cordell Broadus got all of the attention (at Bishop Gorman) last year because he was Snoop Dogg’s son. Jones was a much, much better player,” said CBS Sports Network recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of the UCLA-bound wide receiver. “And he played the best teams in the country, and every game he looked great. Jones is a legit difference-maker at tight end.”
That may be true, but Jones was the last to see it.
“As a freshman in high school moving up to varsity, I was nervous, because I didn’t really know how good of a player I was,” Jones said. “I was kind of playing football for fun. I didn’t have any dreams of playing in college until my sophomore year, when I got my first offer (from UCLA) and I knew that I was good.
“I was just out there playing.”
Once he recognized his gifts, Jones dedicated himself to improving them. As he grew, the electric tight end got stronger, faster, smarter. Three touchdowns in his sophomore season morphed into 10 the next season, then 13. And as his numbers multiplied, so did the offers.
“My sophomore year, all these articles started coming out,” he explained. “At the time, I was reading them, and I was so excited about the recruiting process. I wanted to meet coaches. Coaches would come in, and I’d be nervous. I had my first interview, and I thought, ‘Man, I could really get used to this lifestyle.’
“I didn’t want that much attention. But at the same time, that’s when I really fell in love with the sport. I love to compete and go hard and really showcase my talent. And I knew I was blessed with a lot. Throughout the season, being able to make plays, people would tell me, ‘Some of the things that you do…you make it look easy.’ It kind of stuck with me. I just really want to show the world what I can do.”
Cue Notre Dame. After initially committing to UCLA, Jones flipped to the Irish in January, swayed by the history of prestige at his position and the opportunities ahead.
Opportunities that extend above the goal posts and beyond the furthest reaches of his blossoming career.
“A lot of people just focus on football and getting out in three years,” Jones said. “But the education is the best of the best, and I’m going to meet so many people there. I’m looking forward to building relationships with students, with players, with teachers. I want to pick their brains, see how they view the world.
“You’re going to be around so many great people, and I think that’s what Notre Dame had to offer that was way better than UCLA. The alumni (base) at Notre Dame is insane. When you’re around success, that’s going to rub off on you, and you’re going to be successful. I want to be pushed, and I know I’m going to be pushed to the limit at Notre Dame.”
When he arrives on campus this summer, Jones will undoubtedly be pushed — academically, and especially athletically. In order to see the field, he will first have to address his biggest knock.
“He didn’t have to do a whole lot (of blocking) at Gorman,” Lemming said. “He’s going to have to, or he’s not going to play.”
Jones, who has shot up from 220 to 238 pounds in recent months, has heard all of the questions, despite an active attempt to avoid reading recruiting stories and perusing message boards at every turn. And since putting his stamp on a remarkable prep career, he has turned to his weaknesses, and started chipping away.
“I’m not too worried about route-running or working against DB’s and linebackers, because that’s going to come. I’m going to get used to the style and speed of college football,” he said. “But I have to make sure I get my blocking down. That’s something that I’m really working hard with, and I’m only going to get better when I get out there.”
There, meaning Notre Dame Stadium.
And, just maybe, across the line from Texas on Sept. 5.
Occasionally, Jones visualizes that day, the moment when hours spent nabbing eye-level passes from his father land him on a national stage. He approaches the transition with an unnatural calm, insisting that his high school jump from JV to varsity was more daunting than the one to come.
He finds that he is more anxious than nervous — an athletic outlier with his eyes set on the prize.
“Lately, a lot of people have been asking me, ‘Are you ready for college? You guys have Texas, USC, Georgia Tech, Clemson.’ I’m really excited,” Jones said. I’m just ready to get going, man.
“I’m shaking, because I’m thinking about the future and everything that can happen if I continue to work and perfect my craft.”
Soon, opposing defensive coordinators may be shaking, too.
B
Bogtrotter07
Guest
Wow! What an awesome mindset!
ndcoltsfan2010
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Very, very impressed! This kid is going to be special because he is wise beyond his years and truly gets what Notre Dame is all about. Can't wait to see him hit the field.
GoldenToTheGrave
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I just hope our QB's look his way, Golson has barely used our TE's at all.
NDdomer2
Local Sports vBookie
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Tyler Eifert lead the team in catches, yards, yards per, and TDs his final year with Golson at the helm.
Koyack had an OK year but not because of Golson, IMO. You had to get the ball into Fullers hands. However, only Will, Corey, and Amir had more TD catches than Koyack.
He runs the plays he doesnt call them. And they werent called much for Ben last year. He was an unsung hero for the offense in '14.
I fully expect to see more to the TE this year. Smythe is a better receiver than Ben and Alize is a match up nightmare.
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Of course. Blame Golson.
Crazy Balki
Site Assigned Optimist
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I'd imagine this thread to Koon right now is like this...
<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/14xSZmhnD4Fjyw" width="480" height="324" frameBorder="0" style="max-width: 100%" class="giphy-embed" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Just not the same...*sigh*...
<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/14xSZmhnD4Fjyw" width="480" height="324" frameBorder="0" style="max-width: 100%" class="giphy-embed" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
Just not the same...*sigh*...
Irish YJ
Southsida
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He threw it to the TEs often, it just got picked off most of the time
Sorry, couldn't resist
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Koyack wasn't Eifert.
Irish YJ
Southsida
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He certainly wasn't. Not even close. But as someone said above as well, EG didn't call the plays either.
PANDFAN
Look Down
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his attitude and unreal potential makes him a fan favorite for sure...really looking forward to seeing him make plays...my mind is blown that kids actually can be that focused at this age...hell it has taken me until my early 30's to finally get there 
PANDFAN
Look Down
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Today, we published the third story in our "Freshman Focus" series, this time on the immediate potential of incoming Notre Dame tight end Alizé Jones.
Jones had a lot to say, but unfortunately, not everything could make the actual story.
But that's what Irish Stew is for.
Here are some more bits from Jones on his blocking ability, using critiques as motivation and what he needs to do to play in the season opener this fall.
Alizé Jones
On his ability to block at Notre Dame:
“That’s probably the sleeper with me, my strength and my size. Ever since I graduated, I’ve been working on my speed a lot. I’ve gotten much bigger. I’m no longer 215, 220 (pounds), like people have been tweeting out. I’ve been getting much stronger and working on my footwork, because I know that’s the main thing that’s going to make the difference in me playing this year – my blocking."
(Jones told the Tribune he is currently 238 pounds.)
On the critiques that he isn't a strong blocker:
“I don’t really look up anything or read any articles. Usually it’s people telling me. My friends or my mother might read it. It’s motivating. You love to hear things like that, because you love to prove people wrong. But it’s nothing that irritates me. It’s just another thing like, ‘Well, these people don’t believe I can do it, so I’m going to show them that I can and will.’ It’s motivating.’”
On how he can contribute at Notre Dame immediately this fall:
"I’m really confident in myself. Coming in, I’m just ready to go to work. I know that I’m going to have to get my head in the playbook and get adjusted to the speed of the game. But just coming in, I want to make an impact with my athleticism. I really want to use that, and I think it’s really unique. Come fall, hopefully they can use me a lot as a passing threat. I don’t really know if I’m going to do too much inline early in the season with me working on my blocking. But as a passing threat, I hope to do a lot. And as the season goes on, I want to develop as an all-around tight end…which I will be.”
On how being in a public spotlight in high school will help him adjust to Notre Dame:
“I think that’s what kind of takes away the anxiety and the nervousness of going to college. Since my sophomore year, all of our games were always national. You’re playing the No. 1 team, the No. 5 team. We’re playing against guys that are going to Clemson, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State. We’re playing the best players, and we’re playing in front of 20,000 people. Cameras are there, and ESPN. You kind of get used to it. Those type of things really help. You get a little taste of what college is going to be like as far as talent.”
On taking advice from Notre Dame senior offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, who also attended Bishop Gorman High School:
“When he was here at Gorman, we talked a lot. Any time he gets a chance to be off from football he comes back to Vegas. Nicco (Fertitta) and I will hang out with him. One night, we just asked him a bunch of questions about the school and all the coaches and players – how it is coming in. He said that he was pretty nervous, but you just have to come in and work. Especially going to camp, you’re not going to know the entire playbook. You won’t know everything. It’s just all about who’s making plays, who’s working hard. You have to work harder than the seniors and the juniors. You have to beat those guys in practice.”
More Story: Alizé Jones eyes immediate impact - Notre Dame Insider: Irishstew
Jones had a lot to say, but unfortunately, not everything could make the actual story.
But that's what Irish Stew is for.
Here are some more bits from Jones on his blocking ability, using critiques as motivation and what he needs to do to play in the season opener this fall.
Alizé Jones
On his ability to block at Notre Dame:
“That’s probably the sleeper with me, my strength and my size. Ever since I graduated, I’ve been working on my speed a lot. I’ve gotten much bigger. I’m no longer 215, 220 (pounds), like people have been tweeting out. I’ve been getting much stronger and working on my footwork, because I know that’s the main thing that’s going to make the difference in me playing this year – my blocking."
(Jones told the Tribune he is currently 238 pounds.)
On the critiques that he isn't a strong blocker:
“I don’t really look up anything or read any articles. Usually it’s people telling me. My friends or my mother might read it. It’s motivating. You love to hear things like that, because you love to prove people wrong. But it’s nothing that irritates me. It’s just another thing like, ‘Well, these people don’t believe I can do it, so I’m going to show them that I can and will.’ It’s motivating.’”
On how he can contribute at Notre Dame immediately this fall:
"I’m really confident in myself. Coming in, I’m just ready to go to work. I know that I’m going to have to get my head in the playbook and get adjusted to the speed of the game. But just coming in, I want to make an impact with my athleticism. I really want to use that, and I think it’s really unique. Come fall, hopefully they can use me a lot as a passing threat. I don’t really know if I’m going to do too much inline early in the season with me working on my blocking. But as a passing threat, I hope to do a lot. And as the season goes on, I want to develop as an all-around tight end…which I will be.”
On how being in a public spotlight in high school will help him adjust to Notre Dame:
“I think that’s what kind of takes away the anxiety and the nervousness of going to college. Since my sophomore year, all of our games were always national. You’re playing the No. 1 team, the No. 5 team. We’re playing against guys that are going to Clemson, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State. We’re playing the best players, and we’re playing in front of 20,000 people. Cameras are there, and ESPN. You kind of get used to it. Those type of things really help. You get a little taste of what college is going to be like as far as talent.”
On taking advice from Notre Dame senior offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, who also attended Bishop Gorman High School:
“When he was here at Gorman, we talked a lot. Any time he gets a chance to be off from football he comes back to Vegas. Nicco (Fertitta) and I will hang out with him. One night, we just asked him a bunch of questions about the school and all the coaches and players – how it is coming in. He said that he was pretty nervous, but you just have to come in and work. Especially going to camp, you’re not going to know the entire playbook. You won’t know everything. It’s just all about who’s making plays, who’s working hard. You have to work harder than the seniors and the juniors. You have to beat those guys in practice.”
More Story: Alizé Jones eyes immediate impact - Notre Dame Insider: Irishstew
greyhammer90
the drunk piano player
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irishfan
Irish Hoops Mod
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Be nice to get him to 245 by September 1. He might only be seen as a receiver when he comes into play otherwise.
Kid is such a good athlete though I'd love to see him line up in an H-Back type of role once in a while and catch some passes in the flat off PA.
Kid is such a good athlete though I'd love to see him line up in an H-Back type of role once in a while and catch some passes in the flat off PA.
TheOneWhoKnocks
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Eifert played wr, don't be noobs. The more traditional roles of Te that has been played last couple years, since better wrs. Has been limited by golson pocket awareness and vision for middle field. Mixed with kellys complete lack of designing throwing lanes
Irish YJ
Southsida
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Are you being prejudice to the vertically challenged?
Wild Bill
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What do you mean?
Irish2155
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No he wasn't. But to be fair, not very many TEs in the country were Eifert his last two years of CFB.
Irish2155
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I think he means EG being short requires the OL to establish lanes for him to throw the ball effectively over the middle. I for one also think EG struggles throwing over the middle but not bc BK doesn't establish throwing lanes.
I think he is just short, and doesn't see the middle of the field well...throwing lanes or not. There are plenty of short QBs who throw well over the middle but for whatever reason EG doesn't. He needs a running game playing down and distance. Give him a serious play action option and he'd be amazing.
Back to thread...Jones is an amazing talent and whoever is chucking the ball will be very happy to have him on their team.