July 11, 2017
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – Graduate tight end Durham Smythe and junior tight end Alizé Mack of the University of Notre Dame were both selected to the 2017 John Mackey Award Watch List.
Smythe and Mack hope to continue a recent trend of success with the Mackey Award for Notre Dame tight ends. No school has produced more Mackey Award semifinalists (eight) and finalists (four) than Notre Dame since the award’s inception in 2000. Anthony Fasano (2004, 2005), John Carlson (2006), Kyle Rudolph (2009), Tyler Eifert (2011, 2012), Troy Niklas (2013) and Ben Koyack (2014) have each earned semifinalist recognition. Eifert, who captured the award in ’12, was a finalist in ’11 as was Fasano in ’05 and Carlson in ’06.
Smythe, who missed most of the 2015 season due to injury, has started 15 games over his 28-game, three-year playing career. He’s caught 13 passes for 137 yards and five TDs, including nine grabs for 112 yards and four TDs in 2016.
Mack returns to the Irish this fall after a year away from football. He started five of the 13 games in 2015 and registered 13 catches for 190 yards — both highs for Notre Dame tight ends two years ago.
Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2017 Mackey Award recipient will be announced on December 6, 2017 and then presented live on December 7, 2017 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU. All future announcements can be found at www.johnmackeyaward.com.
NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA
Here’s a quick rundown for the rest of the week and when specific awards will release watch lists:
Mon., July 10: Bednarik Award/Maxwell Award
Tue., July 11: John Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
Wed., July 12: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Thur., July 13: Bronco Nagurski Trophy/Outland Trophy
Fri., July 14: Jim Thorpe Award
Mon., July 17: Butkus Award/Paul Hornung Award
Tue., July 18: Biletnikoff Award/ Wuerffel Trophy
Wed., July 19: Davey O’Brien Award
Thur., July 20: Doak Walker Award
Fri., July 21: Walter Camp Award
Michael Bertsch, director of football media relations at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2006. An Akron, Ohio, native, he graduated from Walsh University (Ohio) in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and also received his master’s degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from Marshall University in 2001.
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