SOUTH BEND, Ind. — University of Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and running back Kyren Williams were both named All-Americans by The Sporting News Tuesday morning. Mayer and Williams were both named to the second team. It was Mayer’s second All-American honor this postseason and Williams’ first All-American honor this year.
Mayer was one of the best tight ends in the country during his sophomore season with the Irish. He set the Notre Dame record for most receptions (64) by a tight end in a single season. He also tied the program record for most receptions by a tight end in a single game twice this season with nine receptions against Florida State and Stanford. Among Power-5 tight ends nationally, he ranks first in receptions and receiving yards per game (69.8).
Mayer finished the season-opener at Florida State with career-best marks in receptions (nine) and yards (120). His 120 yards receiving was the most by an Irish tight end since Sept. 11, 2010 when Kyle Rudolph hauled in 164 yards against Michigan. It was the first 100-yard game of his career and it ranked fifth all-time in Notre Dame history for most receiving yards in a single game by a tight end. The very next week against Toledo, he tallied his first career multi-touchdown game and scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:09 left in the game.
In the regular season finale, Mayer tied his career-best mark and the Notre Dame single-game record with nine receptions for 105 yards. His final reception of the night set the single season Notre Dame reception record, surpassing Tyler Eifert’s previous record of 63 from 2011. It was Mayer’s second-career 100-yard receiving game and the eighth game he has had seven or more catches.
Williams put together another strong campaign, leading the Irish rushing corps for the second-straight season. He led the team in all-purpose yards (1,541), rushing yards (1,002), total touchdowns (17), rushing touchdowns (14) and was second on the team in receptions (42). Nationally, he ranks 14th in the NCAA in total touchdowns, 17th in rushing touchdowns and 20th in the country with 128.42 all-purpose yards per game.
In the win over North Carolina, Williams led the Irish with a career-best 199 yards. He ripped off a career-long 91-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter and it tied for the fifth-longest rush in Notre Dame history. The 199 rushing yards were the most by an Irish player since Dexter Williams had 202 against Florida State in 2018. It was the first time this season and third time in his career that Williams rushed for 100 yards or more in back-to-back games. Williams finished the night with a career-high 261 all-purpose yards (199 rushing, 47 returning, 15 receiving). It was the most all-purpose yards by an Irish player since 2009 when Golden Tate had 275 (244 receiving, 31 rushing) against Washington.
In the win over Stanford, he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark (1,002) for the second-straight season. He is the first Irish running back to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Darius Walker (2005-06). He is just the fifth Notre Dame running back in program history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Williams also rushed for two touchdowns for the third-straight game and it was his eighth-consecutive game with a rushing touchdown.
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