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Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer is a consensus All-American

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel•12/13/22•

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Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer (Chad Weaver/Blue & Gold).

Michael Mayer added one last individual honor to his Notre Dame career. Consensus All-American.

The NFL Draft-bound junior tight end was named a first-team All-American by Sporting News Tuesday, giving him the three first-team nods from NCAA recognized selectors needed for consensus status. He earned that same designation from the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Mayer cannot be a unanimous All-American because he was a second-team selection by the Football Writers Association of America.

Mayer leads all FBS tight ends with 9 touchdown catches this year. His 67 catches are second to Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, and his 809 receiving yards are third behind Kincaid and Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II. He is Pro Football Focus’ top-graded tight end.

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Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey and sophomore offensive tackle Joe Alt were second-team selections by Sporting News. It marks each’s third second-team pick, making the path to consensus status much more obscured. The FWAA and AP also put Foskey on their respective second teams, while the WCFF named him a first-teamer. Alt was a first-team selection by the AP and a second-team pick by the WCFF and FWAA.

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Alt is PFF’s No. 1 offensive tackle, with an overall grade of 91.7. His 90.8 run-blocking grade is also the highest of any FBS tackle this year. He gave up 0 sacks and just 5 pressures in 12 regular-season games. His 85.6 pass-blocking grade is No. 8 among tackles this year.

Foskey’s 11 sacks are tied for fourth in the FBS. He added 33 quarterback pressures and 14 tackles for loss. The latter is tied for 22nd nationally.

Mayer and Foskey both declared for the NFL Draft and will not play in the Dec. 30 Gator Bowl against South Carolina. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay ranks both among his top 32 prospects for 2023.

This season is the third straight in which at least one Notre Dame player was named a consensus All-American. Mayer follows safety Kyle Hamilton (2021) and offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg (2020). The Irish’s last unanimous All-American was linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in 2020.

All told, Mayer is the 106th consensus All-American in Notre Dame history. That’s the most among FBS teams. He is the first Irish tight end to be a consensus or unanimous All-American since Ken MacAfee in 1977.

The American Football Coaches Association, which is the final NCAA-recognized selector, will release its All-America team Wednesday. 

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