Notre Dame received its third commitment from the Class of 2020 on Sunday when blue-chip tight end Michael Meyer announced for the Irish. The 6-5/240 pound out of Alexandria, Kentucky has been a top target of Notre Dame for a long time now since earning his offer back in December. Mayer is the third Top-150 commit for Notre Dame’s Class of 2020, joining fellow tight end Kevin Bauman (#106 overall) and quarterback Drew Pyne (#115 overall). The Irish are currently sitting at #6 in the 247Composite Team Rankings for 2020.

Recruiting Service Rankings

ESPN — Not Yet Rated

Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), #203 overall, #6 TE, #3 in KY

247Sports — 4 star (92 rating), #82 overall, #2 TE, #2 in KY

247 Sports Composite — 4 star (.9432), #133 overall, #3 TE, #2 in KY

In a haul very similar to the tight end haul of 2017 (in which the Irish landed Cole Kmet and Brock Wright), Notre Dame currently has the #2 and #3 tight ends in the Class of 2020 in the fold as verbal commits. Tight End U continues to rake in top talent.

Cohort

Michael chose the Irish over other offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, and Penn State, among others. Ohio State in particular was pushing extremely hard for his commitment.

Highlights

While Kevin Bauman should end up being more of an in-line blocker for the Irish, Mayer shows much more promise in the passing game. He should prove to be a match-up nightmare over the middle. While I’d expect him to play in-line as a traditional tight end as well, and he does show a willingness to get his hands dirty to block, he’d likely be more effective spread out wide as a flex end. He’s got a great blend of size, hands, and athleticism.

Also, before anyone asks, he probably won’t play defensive end at Notre Dame. Although he looks pretty good playing the position in his highlights.

Impact

The verbal commitment of Michael Mayer is huge for Notre Dame at this point. Assuming both he and Kevin Bauman stick, this gives the Irish some breathing room at the position in 2019. After whiffing on just about all of their targets at this point with only 3-star Brenton Strange remaining, it’s entirely possible the Irish decide to skip the position altogether in 2019 if Strange ends up elsewhere.

Mayer will almost certainly not be needed in a significant role as a true freshman, assuming all goes to plan ahead of him; Wright and Kmet will be seniors, and Tremble and Takacs will be juniors. Once you add Kevin Bauman into the mix, that adds up to a lot Mayer would have to compete with in order to see the field in any significant capacity as a freshman. He’ll have plenty of time to build up physically and mentally before joining the rotation as a sophomore. I think he’ll be ready when called upon, and has the potential to be a quality player and serious red-zone threat when his time comes.

Welcome to the Irish family, Michael!