Notre Dame Football: Will Alize Mack finally break out in 2018?

By Jacob Wilson | Jan 12, 2018

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

It’s been a rocky road for tight end Alize Mack during his tenure with Notre Dame football, but one more year in an Irish uniform may be just what he needs to turn his career around.

Alize Mack, formerly known as Alize Jones prior to changing his name in honor of his stepfather, initially committed to UCLA before making the decision to play at Notre Dame. Notre Dame, perhaps more than any other program, has produced a plethora of NFL caliber tight ends. Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Eifert, Troy Niklas and Ben Koyack all did well under head coach Brian Kelly.

With that said, it makes sense that a prospective tight end prospect would commit to Notre Dame. While the situation certainly looked great from Mack’s perspective, it also appeared to be a great fit for the Irish. However, years of inconsistency have hurt Mack’s stock, leaving fans wondering whether or not we’ve already seen the best out of the former No.1 tight end prospect.

Mack started off his college career on a good note, recording 190 yards on 13 catches over the course of his freshman year. However, Mack’s solid start would be squandered after an academic suspension kept him off the field for the entirety of the 2016 season. Despite the suspension, Mack appeared to be primed for a bounce-back junior year. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

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Mack proceeded to log 166 yards on 19 receptions this past season, a disappointing finish all things considered. What was most disappointing was his absence from Notre Dame’s latest bowl game win against LSU, a suspension that was chalked up as an “internal affair” by Brian Kelly.

While discipline has certainly been an issue for Mack during his time at Notre Dame, there are a few other things that have contributed to an underwhelming college career. First of all, Mack’s initial suspension in 2016 prevented him from enjoying another year under star quarterback DeShone Kizer.

Instead, Mack’s first year as a starter would come with Brandon Wimbush under center, a run-first quarterback who would greatly inhibit success in the passing game. Additionally, it wasn’t easy for Mack to establish himself as a consistent starter given graduate student Durham Smythe’s ability to hold his own at the position.

Needless to say, things started stacking up against the former four star recruit. However, Mack will have the best chance to showcase his talents in his senior year despite all that has gone wrong in the past. While the removal of Smythe from the grouping will certainly help, it might just be an Ian Book led offense that gives Mack his best opportunity yet.

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While the previously mentioned Wimbush witnessed significant success on the ground for the majority of the season, Book’s ability to stretch the field in the passing game should give Mack much hope for a breakout 2018 campaign. However, a pair of suspensions means there’s nobody left to blame. Mack’s future is now in his hands. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is yet to be seen.

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