Notre Dame: Successful Return of Evans Boosts Team

Mitchell Evans entered the field at Notre Dame's first training session still wearing a knee brace. A day later, the brace was removed—a further significant step in his recovery from last season’s ACL tear. Evans, the former high school quarterback, is set to return just in time for the new season. The ACL tear abruptly halted a promising season for Evans, who was on the path to joining the ranks of renowned Notre Dame tight ends. Now, provided he remains injury-free, the team could not only have a healthy Evans but also several successors lined up for next season if Evans sets his sights on the NFL. However, injuries among tight ends have become somewhat traditional. Evans spent the last two offseasons in rehab—first due to a broken foot and then because of the ACL tear. His teammate Eli Raridon had already recovered twice from ACL tears during his school years, and Kevin Bauman has also endured multiple severe injuries. Given this history, one might almost name Notre Dame’s rehab facilities the “Tight End Room,” as Evans jokingly remarked. Despite the challenges, team morale remains high. "Our goal is to stay healthy. We have an excellent plan for that," Bauman emphasized. The tight end position may play a larger role this season, not least because of the new Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock, who plans a more open playing style. While Notre Dame last year used two tight ends on 36.6 percent of offensive snaps—well above the national average of 21 percent—Denbrock at LSU employed two tight ends only 5.5 percent of the time. A shining example of tight end effectiveness was the game against Duke last season, when Evans alone caught six passes for 134 yards, while Notre Dame’s entire receiving corps recorded only four catches for 56 yards. With potential NFL players like Evans, Raridon, and Cooper Flanagan, Notre Dame could once again rely on a strong tight end group. Denbrock, however, plans to diversify the offense and reduce the reliance on the running game. The newly recruited receivers are expected to help modernize the play style and relieve some of the burden on the tight ends. "It’s very different from last year," said Evans. "With Denbrock, things move quickly. I like that." The opening game against Texas A&M will show how well Notre Dame can implement this new system.