Jim Knowles raves about Michael Mayer, reveals how Ohio State will guard him

What to do with Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer is one of the biggest challenges that Jim Knowles and Ohio State’s defense are staring down ahead of the primetime Week 1 matchup. The junior is one of the Irish’s top offensive weapons and Knowles is not under estimating his talent.

Mayer got strong reviews from Knowles, who thinks the tight end will be playing on Sundays. That said, Knowles has a plan to try and neutralize Mayer and his talents.

“You have to mix it up. You have to blend in different coverages and people who are on him, coming from different directions,” Knowles said. “He’s an excellent player. He’s an NFL player. He has that ability to lean into the coverage, find the open spot — so it is about knowing where he is at all times. And making sure that we’re changing it up enough with him to keep him off balance.”

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Mayer caught 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021 and should be the top target in Notre Dame’s passing attack, unless Knowles and his defense can figure mix it up and slow him down.

Knowles has been impressed with how the players have absorbed the new scheme

Knowles was hired by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day to come in and right the ship on the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes. As Knowles installs his scheme, he’s been pleasantly surprised by how engaged the players are in learning it.

How quickly the players have ultimately picked up the scheme has surprised Knowles the most, he said. After a down year in 2021, the Ohio State defenders seem hungry to right the ship, themselves.

“Like I’ve said from the beginning,” Knowles said, “What has surprised me the most was how quickly they pick things up. You know, I mean, I think that’s a change. They want to be great. They want to — I know some of them went through some tough times last year. They want to avenge that. They want to step up. They want to learn. I think that they all have visions of getting to the next level. And they want to learn. They want to pick your brain. And I think they’ve soaked it up. So that’s been surprising to me, how quickly they got that.”