Notre Dame won a long recruiting battle for Alizé Jones, landing one of the best tight ends in the country over UCLA. To the victor goes one of the most ready-made pass catching tight ends in the country, and Notre Dame gets a potential difference maker from the moment Jones takes the field.
Following in a long line of blue-chip prospects, Jones might also win the award for most likely to contribute early, especially with a depth chart in front of him all equally inexperienced. (Only junior Durham Smythe has a catch—exactly one.) But that doesn’t mean the road to the field will be easy, especially if Jones is asked to block and go toe-to-toe with a defensive lineman, a skill Brian Kelly needs to see before he puts his faith in a tight end.