When you think of Notre Dame football, you think of two positions instantly: offensive lineman and tight end. The latter has been a historically elite position for the Irish program. Working all the way back to Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Casper, names like Mark Bavaro, Irv Smith, Tyler Eifert and Michael Mayer have all dominated while rocking the blue and gold.
In the 2024 recruiting class, the Notre Dame staff got off to an excellent start at the tight end position, securing a commitment from Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic standout Jack Larsen. A top 100 recruit by multiple platforms, the 6-3, 215-pound pass catcher brings some outstanding upside to the next level.
Even with Larsen, the program is clearly open to adding even more talent to the room in 2024. The board has even been expanding over the last couple of weeks in effect. In what appears to be an incredibly deep and talented tight end group in 2024, double dipping seems like a wise move.
Let’s take a look at a few of the talented tight ends who have caught the staff’s attention.
For a while it was uncertain just how much of a property a second tight end in the 2024 class would be for Notre Dame. Then the staff swiftly identified and Nelson and quickly made him a priority.
Hailing from a small town in the middle of Nebraska, Aimsworth isn’t the easiest place to visit. When the dead period opened last month, Gerad Parker made it a priority to get out and see Nelson. That travel included eight hours of driving on top of an airplane ride to Sioux Falls.
While Nelson may be a little bit of a projection playing eight man football on his level, he has some special athletic traits to work with. He has the skill set to be an absolute mismatch weapon on the next level.
At 6-5 and 210 pounds, Nelson is the type of athlete who can pretty much do anything he wants to on the football field. For the 9-1 Ainsworth squad, he was the team’s leading rusher with 761 yards and 14 touchdowns on 119 carries, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Nelson is also the team’s leading receiver with 525 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 28 total receptions.
He has done all that while also playing a lot of reps as the team’s quarterback. On the season, he threw for 663 yards and 15 touchdowns on 83 attempts. The Junior has also been careful with the football, only throwing three interceptions on the year.
It doesn’t end on the offensive side of the football for Nelson’s impact. Doubling as a dynamic safety for Ainsworth, he hauled in six interceptions and totaled 41 tackles as well.
Nelson was also the team’s top punter to boot, averaging 39.6 yards per punt.
Nelson is also a standout basketball player on the hardwood. As a sophomore, he averaged 12.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.4 blocks per game during the season. His highlight tape is littered with gravity defying dunks and athletic feats. There appears to be no limits to his athletic upside.
During the spring, Nelson is a premier long jumper for the track and field program, posting a personal best jump of seven feet in the high jump. That isn’t a total surprise and a testament to the caliber of athlete he is.
Nelson also has a personal best time of 11.05 seconds in the 100 meter dash, which is a very good time for a sophomore of his size. Again, not a total surprise. The Nebraska native is also a tremendous pole vaulter, which you don’t typically see at his size. Nelson had a personal best jump of 13’8” in the pole vault as a sophomore.
That is again not only a testament to his athleticism, but also to his flexibility and upper body strength. Just to cap it off, Nelson is also a premier discus thrower with a personal best of 175 feet. A combination of sprinting, high jumping, pole vaulting and throwing the discus isn’t a typical combination. This is a very unique athlete.
He is already a well accomplished player from a recruiting ranking perspective. Nelson is ranked as the No. 109 overall player and No. 5 tight end in the 2024 recruiting class. He currently boasts several notable offers, including the Irish, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Baylor, Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, and Kansas among others.
Notre Dame extended a couple recent offers over the last couple of weeks. One of them was Matthews on December 22, who is one of the more gifted athletes in the country.
In ten games as a junior, Matthews hauled in 20 receptions for 425 yards and eight touchdowns. He led the Hiram squad in both receiving yards and touchdowns for what is a heavy running team. Matthews also had a quarterback hurry and pass breakup in very minimal opportunities on defense.
The 6-7, 250-pound tight end is a consensus four-star recruit across every major recruiting platform. Matthews ranks as high as the No. 80 overall player and the No. 8 athlete in the 2024 recruiting class according to On3. He is ranked similarly on the ESPN ranking, sitting as the No. 81 overall player and the No. 1 athlete in the class.
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Matthews has collected some incredibly impressive offers thus far. Some of his notable offers include the Irish, Ohio State, Florida, Miami, Michigan, USC, Florida State, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Kentucky, Arkansas, Purdue, and Georgia Tech among others.
Matthews would be an intriguing skill set to pair with Larsen, bringing a ton of length and size to the position. He has just barely begun to tap into his overall potential.
The Missouri native was another talented tight end who received an offer from the Notre Dame staff recently. Reddell was offered on the same day as Matthews, offering some absurd upside to the position.
Reddell spends most of his time at wide receiver at his school. It doesn’t take long to see just how physicality gifted he is as a pass receiver.
The Raymore-Peculiar star is coming off of a dynamic Junior campaign as the team’s top pass catcher. On the season, Reddell would haul in 49 receptions for 1,002 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 20.4 yard per reception average is big evidence for just how much of a big play threat Reddell is.
Reddell is considered a four-star recruit by both On3 and ESPN, sitting currently as a top 100 overall player nationally on both recruiting platform. On the On3 ranking, the Missouri native is pegged as the No. 34 overall player and No. 1 tight end in the 2024 recruiting class. ESPN has him ranked as the No. 96 overall player and No. 3 tight end in the class on their ranking.
The 6-4, 225-pound pass catcher already boasts an elite offer list. Some of the notable programs who have offered include the Irish, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Auburn, Nebraska, Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisville, Illinois. Missouri, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, and Kansas among others.
While he may be a complete projection as a tight end working in line, Reddell is an easy mismatch weapon early on in the passing game. He brings an absurd catch radius, smooth overall athleticism and natural instincts in the passing game.
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