'15 NV TE Aliz'e Mack (Notre Dame Signed NLI)

[dublinirish]

Also Mike Golic and Zach Martin were listed as basically the same size in the 2012 roster, and I felt Golic was a little undersized. Maybe that's stupid, but I think it showed on their field.

Problem for Golic was that he wasn't athletic or very strong.

 

[NDRock]

Is it really Booker or more along the lines of the game plan and emphasis to get the ball downfield with a guy like Fuller?

I have no idea. All I know is that production has declined from the position every year since he's been here. He also was in charge of special teams for a time and they didn't light the world on fire. Maybe he's been hamstrung by other factors, all I can go by is what has been produced on the field.

Also, getting the ball downfield to a guy like Fuller is great but a big part of our offensive problems last year were red zone. Seems like some good TEs would help in that area of the field.

 

[NDRock]

Any success Booker has had with our TEs (Rudolph/Eifert) has come from guys that were originally coached by Bernie Parmalee. Niklas was probably the best to come from his own teaching and I wouldn't say he was a world beater. We'll see what he does with Jones, but I honestly think Jones was a can't miss talent before he showed up in South Bend. Booker has had arguably more talent to work with at his position than anyone else in the country the last 6 years, yet we're steadily declining in TE production.

Agree with this although I'm assuming you meant Niklas as Rudolph was gone by the time Booker started coaching TEs (2012).

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I have no idea how good a coach Booker is, but I agree that we have definitly not had the talent that we previously had.

Also...

- Rudolph spent a lot of his career hurt. I think his career was a little over-rated based on the fact that he was clearly going to have a long career in the NFL and keep our streak alive.

- Eifert spent his first two years hurt, and came on big time late. NFL scouts still refer to him as a freak of nature. I could have coached him.

- Niklas had trmendous size, but played defense his freshman year and left before he really developed. He was developing fine.

- Koyack was, by all acounts, distracted and a little undersized. He was not the heir apparent.

- Smyth was not as highly ranked as Rudoph, Koyack, or Niklas, and has been injured on and off for years.

- Weishar is still young nad has been putting on the weight.

- Luatua was short and a little slow and very young.

- His other two guys were converted Dlinemen.

IMO, this is the first year we'll see what Booker can do.

I have no idea. All I know is that production has declined from the position every year since he's been here. He also was in charge of special teams for a time and they didn't light the world on fire. Maybe he's been hamstrung by other factors, all I can go by is what has been produced on the field.

Also, getting the ball downfield to a guy like Fuller is great but a big part of our offensive problems last year were red zone. Seems like some good TEs would help in that area of the field.

In addition to your points, DN, ND rock has a good point as an extension of the conversation.

ND football has evolved tremendously, (I am not saying either for the good or the bad,) but the amount of usage of a tight end as a receiver has plummeted, and the importance of an inline blocker has increased, significantly.

In part it has been because of the tremendous improvement in the wide receiver corps. Remember the days when we had one, at most two decent wide receivers? Remember all the conversations as recently as two years ago, when most were in agreement that we didn't have a receiver that could take the top off a defense? And most importantly, remember the first four years of the Kelly era when we didn't have a quarterback who could get the ball down field for physical or mental reasons?

All that has alone decreased the role of ND's tight ends, above and beyond the fact that capabilities, and experience of the tight ends has dropped off. Especially experience. In high school none of the current tight ends had to block. Troy Niklas, who was converted to tight end, not a natural like Rudolph, and Eifert, made tremendous progress. Remember he left the Irish with an extra year, where he could have been deadly!

And the coaches and experts have lamented the fact that teams could watch substitutions to see if Luatua was in (run), or Jones was in, (pass.) The fact that Jones did anything last year was a testimony to the player development from Booker and the rest of the staff, as well as his skill. The kid was obviously not ready to play D1, he wasn't strong enough, and had no experience doing what an ND tight end needs to do, (beyond catching the ball.)

I think Jones is great, and we have two other really good tight ends that are going to blossom this year.

 

[Domina Nostra]

In addition to your points, DN, ND rock has a good point as an extension of the conversation.

ND football has evolved tremendously, (I am not saying either for the good or the bad,) but the amount of usage of a tight end as a receiver has plummeted, and the importance of an inline blocker has increased, significantly.

In part it has been because of the tremendous improvement in the wide receiver corps. Remember the days when we had one, at most two decent wide receivers? Remember all the conversations as recently as two years ago, when most were in agreement that we didn't have a receiver that could take the top off a defense? And most importantly, remember the first four years of the Kelly era when we didn't have a quarterback who could get the ball down field for physical or mental reasons?

All that has alone decreased the role of ND's tight ends, above and beyond the fact that capabilities, and experience of the tight ends has dropped off. Especially experience. In high school none of the current tight ends had to block. Troy Niklas, who was converted to tight end, not a natural like Rudolph, and Eifert, made tremendous progress. Remember he left the Irish with an extra year, where he could have been deadly!

And the coaches and experts have lamented the fact that teams could watch substitutions to see if Luatua was in (run), or Jones was in, (pass.) The fact that Jones did anything last year was a testimony to the player development from Booker and the rest of the staff, as well as his skill. The kid was obviously not ready to play D1, he wasn't strong enough, and had no experience doing what an ND tight end needs to do, (beyond catching the ball.)

I think Jones is great, and we have two other really good tight ends that are going to blossom this year.

Yup. Great points. See below...

Booker has had arguably more talent to work with at his position than anyone else in the country the last 6 years, yet we're steadily declining in TE production.

I really don't agree with the assessment of talent. He had three studs (Koyack, Niklas, and Jones), and a bunch of guys with good overall star rankings, but mostly borderline 4 stars. Koyack was a disappointment, Niklas was very good, Jones was a freshman. Smyth has been hurt a lot.

But the position has actually been pretty thin and unstable as far as a good mix of healthy veterans and underclassmen for years now. This is the first year its really stabilized in a while.

Here's how it looked:

Great
2005: Fasano was very productive his senior year (47/576/2); Carlson was a good back-up but didn't do much (ND: 477 yards per game total offense)
2006: Carlson was very productive in 2006 (47/634/4); Freeman was the good back-up (9/98/2) (ND: 398 yards per game total offense)

Pretty good, but shakey
2007: Carlson slipped off for reasons beyond his control: i.e., we sucked (40/372/3); Yeatman and Ragone were promising back-ups, but did little (ND: 242 yards per game total offense)
2008: Rudolph had a good rookie year (29/340/2), Yeatman did very little (2/6/0), Ragone began getting hurt (ND: 355 yards per game total offense)
2009: Rudolph has another good year (34/364/3), Bobby Burger was the back-up because of injuries and transfers (ND: 451 yards per game total offense)

The Eifert Years
2010: Rudolph has another pretty good year, but was injured alot (28/328/3); Eifert comes on the scene (27/352/2); Ragone alive. (ND: 379 yards per game total offense)
2011: Eifert is a madman (63/803/5); Ragone, Welch, and Koyack combine for 3 catches (ND: 413 yards per game total offense)
2012: Eifert is great (60/685/4); Niklas recruited (5/75/1); Koyack not showing much (3/39/0) (ND: 412 yards per game total offense)

Lately:
2013: Niklas is heir, better stats than Rudolph and stays healthy (32/498/5); Koyack is a compliment (10/171/3) (ND: 405 yards per game total offense)
2014: Koyack (30/317/2); Smyth does almost nothing (ND: 445 yards per game total offense)
2015: Jones (13/190/0) Weishar, Smyth, and Hounshell (7/44/1) (BUT ND: 466 yards per game total offense, the most since 2005, so we had lots of other weapons competing for the ball)

 

[BobbyMac]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Experience benefits <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> TE Aliz'e Jones. <a href="https://t.co/1jlDXYvszA">https://t.co/1jlDXYvszA</a> <a href="https://t.co/NmWC6KURVG">pic.twitter.com/NmWC6KURVG</a></p>— Nick Ironside (@nironside247) <a href="https://twitter.com/nironside247/status/718445568964431873">April 8, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[KPENN]

Notre Dame TE Aliz'e Jones finds a home in South Bend

When Notre Dame landed Aliz'e Jones in the class of 2015, the staff didn't land just the nation's top tight end, but also a special talent who truly appreciated what the Irish could do for him on and off the field.

During a recent media session, Jones was asked about his decision to sign with Notre Dame and the difficulty in decommitting from UCLA, a school he grew up dreaming to play for.

"It was tough decommitting from UCLA because all throughout high school UCLA was the school that family wanted me to go to, I wanted to go to," said Jones. "My uncle played baseball there. Family members are huge fans of the Bruins. Decommitting was definitely tough. Coming to Notre Dame, it actually exceeded my expectations because me, coming from Vegas and a big city, coming out to South Bend, I was like, 'Man, I don't know how I'm going to adapt to it. I'm a city boy. I don't know what I'm going to do.' Especially, the academics are so tough. But at the same time, I was telling myself I want a challenge. I see what they do with their tight ends. I see how the academics are. I see how the coaching staff's are. How the team is a brotherhood. All the guys that leave are successful. Once I got here, I just loved it. Being in the dorms, talking to regular students. Getting real close with the team and the coaches. I just really feel at home. I go home now and I can't wait to come back. When I come back, I'm like, 'Man, this is home.'"

 

[Luckylucci]

Notre Dame TE Aliz'e Jones finds a home in South Bend

Very cool to hear. He's going to be a stud.

 

[NDdomer2]

I want this kid to dominate on that Eifert level so bad.

 

[Irish#1]

Notre Dame TE Aliz'e Jones finds a home in South Bend

This kid gets it!

 

[ResLife Hero]

ND A to Z: Alizé Jones - Notre Dame - Scout

 

[ResLife Hero]

http://notredame.247sports.com/Bolt/Breaking-Down-The-Depth-Chart-Alize-Jones-45778906]

FALL OUTLOOK

Despite his age, Jones is one of the most experienced pass-catching threats on the team. Only the two rising senior wideouts have more receptions than Jones, and the future of one of those receivers—Corey Robinson—will be decided Wednesday. Robinson is a W-receiver, and his decision affects where Jones could play this fall. Kelly moved Jones to the W-position, in part, because Robinson’s injury left the Irish short there behind sophomore Miles Boykin. If Robinson retires from football, Kelly may want to use Jones in a more prominent role at W.

But regardless of where Robinson plays—or for that matter, where Jones plays—the 6-foot-5, 240-pound sophomore will be on the field more often this fall, and should be frequently targeted by the quarterbacks. Jones will have had a full offseason to develop a rapport with both quarterbacks, and the experience from last fall should pay dividends in 2016.

PREDICTION

Jones has the physical makeup of a dangerous receiving tight end, and with more playing time he should have the opportunity to show why he was a highly touted five-star prospect. His reception total depends on how the inexperienced group of wide receivers develops. If Torii Hunter Jr. lives up to the expectations attached to being Notre Dame’s go-to receiver; if St. Brown transitions into a quality No. 2 wideout; and if a variety of other receivers such as Corey Holmes, C.J. Sanders and Miles Boykin are productive, there will be plenty of targets for the quarterbacks. But even in that case, Jones should be one of the prime contributors offensively.

If the quarterbacks use their tight ends more often in 2016, Jones should be able to double his receptions total from last season. Smythe’s performance in the passing game could also play a role in determining how many balls are thrown to the sophomore. But even if a multitude of quality receivers deliver, Jones should still be in the mix as the third, fourth or fifth leading receiver on the team.

 

[woolybug25]

http://notredame.247sports.com/Bolt/Breaking-Down-The-Depth-Chart-Alize-Jones-45778906]

He's the exact same size as Megatron. I say we use him like that at the W position.

 

[IrishLion]

He's the exact same size as Megatron. I say we use him like that at the W position.

Hit that back shoulder, DeShone (or Malik).

 

[GoIrish41]

He's the exact same size as Megatron. I say we use him like that at the W position.

He's not as fast as Johnson, but point taken.

 

[Irish YJ]

If the kid is as skilled as we think, and is putting in the work, anything less than 10 TDs this season is pure negligence on behalf of the coaching staff. With his size and position flexibility, he's easily our best mismatch weapon anywhere on the field, but especially the RZ.

 

[woolybug25]

He's not as fast as Johnson, but point taken.

His 40 time is .25 slower. In the college game, I think that translates pretty well. Not to mention, I don't think we have to ask him to beat six foot corners in with speed.

 

[BobbyMac]

Ironside @247 put his receptions number at 26. If that happens, I'll has a sad. Jones is the best HS receiver not named McKinley or Kirk I've seen going back to 2012. Better than JuJu, Tyler Vaughns, Adoree Jackson, Tyjon Lindsey, Michael Pitman, Devon Allen, all of them.

Now, when you consider he was doing it from the TE / W in HS, he moves past Christian Kirk too. McKinley is McKinley as Irish fans will learn over the next 3 years.

AJ's a match up nightmare. He'll burn LB's and SS's, He'll post up nickle & dimes... and he'll burn many of them too. He's the answer to every defensive question.

I expect he'll be first or second in receptions this year. Anything under 45 will mean to me the staff didn't dial him in. If he is used properly, expect mid 50's to 60's production like Eifert... or more.

 

[zelezo vlk]

26 seems a little low, but he may need to develop a little more physically. Plus, it'll depend on how much BK wants to run the ball. I think it was the BGI podcast last week where Coach D laid out his expectations at about 2500 yards rushing between his over/unders. I'm not worried.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[BobbyMac]

26 seems a little low, but he may need to develop a little more physically. Plus, it'll depend on how much BK wants to run the ball. I think it was the BGI podcast last week where Coach D laid out his expectations at about 2500 yards rushing between his over/unders. I'm not worried.

Really? That's less than last year. I'd figure he'd go with more considering the drain at WR, a cast of unproven TE's and a full compliment of RB's returning.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Really? That's less than last year. I'd figure he'd go with more considering the drain at WR, a cast of unproven TE's and a full compliment of RB's returning.

Sorry. That was just between Folston, Adams, and Williams.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Ironside @247 put his receptions number at 26. If that happens, I'll has a sad. Jones is the best HS receiver not named McKinley or Kirk I've seen going back to 2012. Better than JuJu, Tyler Vaughns, Adoree Jackson, Tyjon Lindsey, Michael Pitman, Devon Allen, all of them.

Now, when you consider he was doing it from the TE / W in HS, he moves past Christian Kirk too. McKinley is McKinley as Irish fans will learn over the next 3 years.

AJ's a match up nightmare. He'll burn LB's and SS's, He'll post up nickle & dimes... and he'll burn many of them too. He's the answer to every defensive question.

I expect he'll be first or second in receptions this year. Anything under 45 will mean to me the staff didn't dial him in. If he is used properly, expect mid 50's to 60's production like Eifert... or more.

You take that back! Not better than Juju!

 

[koonja]

If he has 26 that's awful. 2 catches a game? Come on.

What'd Funchess go to after his freshman year of 15 receptions.?

 

[Rocket89]

For comparisons sake, Eifert was 6'5" 1/2 and ran a 4.68 at the combine while weighing 250.

I don't think Alize is quite that tall, measuring under 6'4" at the Combine wouldn't be a huge shock. His 4.67 at The Opening is still really good.

Megatron ran a 4.35 at 6'5" 239 which is unreal.

 

[BobbyMac]

You take that back! Not better than Juju!

2x the receiver Juju was in high school.

If he has 26 that's awful. 2 catches a game? Come on.

What'd Funchess go to after his freshman year of 15 receptions.?

So - 49rec ..... 748 yds ..... 6 TD

Jr - 62 rec ..... 733 yds ..... 4 TD

Very similar to Eifert.

 

[ND Fan Vancouver]

Ironside @247 put his receptions number at 26. If that happens, I'll has a sad. Jones is the best HS receiver not named McKinley or Kirk I've seen going back to 2012. Better than JuJu, Tyler Vaughns, Adoree Jackson, Tyjon Lindsey, Michael Pitman, Devon Allen, all of them.

Now, when you consider he was doing it from the TE / W in HS, he moves past Christian Kirk too. McKinley is McKinley as Irish fans will learn over the next 3 years.

AJ's a match up nightmare. He'll burn LB's and SS's, He'll post up nickle & dimes... and he'll burn many of them too. He's the answer to every defensive question.

I expect he'll be first or second in receptions this year. Anything under 45 will mean to me the staff didn't dial him in. If he is used properly, expect mid 50's to 60's production like Eifert... or more.

I completely agree with this. He's had a year to learn the offense. He seems ready to blow up. I really hope they utilize him to the best of his ability, which is sky-high, and get the ball to him often. I really do think this kid can be dominant. I think our offense as a whole can be dominant. Can't wait!!

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That’s up 24 pounds from where Notre Dame listed Alize Jones on National Signing Day. That was just 18 months ago. <a href="https://t.co/aBtIsjf5Xn">https://t.co/aBtIsjf5Xn</a></p>— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteSampson_/status/756488117792575488">July 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[ResLife Hero]

He's going to be an awesome safety valve and red zone threat at the very least.

 

[JD Irish]

I thought that he wanted to lose weight because he bulked up too much for blocking purposes last year and wasn't as agile as he wanted to be.

 

[HoustonNDFan]

I thought that he wanted to lose weight because he bulked up too much for blocking purposes last year and wasn't as agile as he wanted to be.

They are comparing his weight to what he was listed at 18 months ago. I'm sure he played much heaver last season than what he weighed on signing day.