Brian Kelly explains Michael Carmody switching positions

The tight end room at Notre Dame, which has long been a position of strength, has encountered some adversity this year both on the injury and penalty fronts. The result? The Irish may have left tackle Michael Carmody line up at tight end this weekend against USC.

On Monday, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly discussed how the 6-foot-5, 290-pound redshirt freshman ended up third on the depth chart at tight end behind Michael Mayer and George Takacs, at least for the moment.

“I think that’s all of that,” Kelly said in response to a question concerning if the switch is a stopgap measure while players are unavailable or if it could be helpful in the long term. “A combination of all of those things. With Alt being the left tackle, now Carmody kind of slips into that… do a little bit of everything for us.”

Ironically, Joe Alt played tight end in high school and is still listed in that position on the roster, but the freshman and Carmody have essentially switched positions.

“He’s a big guy that can add some size into that 13 [personnel] package for us,” Kelly added. “Now when Bauman comes back, we’ll see where we are, but for the immediate purpose of needing that next tight end, he definitely serves a great role there for us.”

Injuries piling up at tight end

Redshirt freshman Kevin Bauman has been sidelined since the Florida State opener with a leg fracture which required surgery, but he could be ready to return in the coming weeks. True freshman Cane Berrong, however, was less fortunate. He tore his ACL against Virginia Tech on Oct. 9 and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2021 season.

Tight end Mitchell Evans is healthy, but he will miss the first half of Saturday’s game against USC after being called for targeting in Blacksburg, a rarity on the offensive side of the ball. 

That leaves Mayer, who missed the game against Virginia Tech but is now reportedly 100% healthy, and Takacs as Notre Dame’s only remaining scholarship tight ends. Mayer leads the team in receptions and yards with 32 and 360, respectively. Despite missing a game, the standout sophomore also leads Power Five tight ends in receptions and is third in receiving yardage. Takacs is the only other tight end on the roster with a catch; he had one for 15 yards against Virginia Tech.

Notre Dame’s game against an inconsistent USC team kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and Notre Dame is a touchdown favorite as of Tuesday morning. The last five meetings between these two teams in South Bend have also been primetime contests.