Notre Dame Football: 3 players poised to break out in 2020

3. Tommy Tremble, TE

The Chicago Bears’ selection of Cole Kmet in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft marked the seventh Notre Dame tight end drafted into the NFL over the past 10 years. With Kmet now out of the picture, there may be some competition at tight end for the first time in a while. That’s where junior Tommy Tremble steps in.

Tremble, who may strike you as more of a wide receiver than tight end at first glance, recorded 183 yards on 16 catches in 2019. More impressively, Tremble found himself tied for third on the team with four touchdowns. His abilities in the passing game have been well documented, but he finds himself relatively undersized when compared to his positional peers.

This naturally brings about questions regarding his blocking prowess, but it’s not necessarily fair to start doubting his skills just yet. With the all-around Kmet at their disposal, the Irish didn’t have to ask for much out of Tremble when it came to blocking. This year, however, a two tight end set may be the way to go given Brock Wright’s blocking strengths and Tremble’s receiving prowess.

While this may not be Tremble’s job to lose, it’s hard to imagine the Irish coaching staff having a favorite over him coming into the year. He’ll have to beat out George Takacs (more of a blocker as well) and possibly even true freshman Michael Mayer, but it’s easy to see an exceptional year out of the junior if he does secure the eventual starting job.