Junior TE Kyle Rudolph.

Rudolph Named to the 2010 Mackey Award Watch List

Aug. 17, 2010

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior tight end Kyle Rudolph was named to the 2010 John Mackey Award Watch List on Monday. Rudolph was one of 32 players, and only returning semifinalist from a year ago, mentioned for the accolade annually given to the best collegiate tight end.

Rudolph (Cincinnati, Ohio) enters his junior season as one of the most prolific tight ends in Irish football history. He has totaled 62 receptions for 704 yards and five touchdowns while starting 22 of 23 games played in a Notre Dame uniform. He ranks fifth in career catches by a tight end and each of his 2008 (29) and 2009 (33) reception totals rank among the top 10 in single-season school history. Rudolph is just 296 receiving yards shy of eclipsing 1,000 for his career. He would be the fourth tight end in Irish history to accomplish the feat.

In 2009, Rudolph was the lone sophomore named a semifinalist for the Mackey Award. He recorded 33 catches for 364 yards and three touchdowns in the season’s first 10 games. Rudolph missed the ensuing two games (Pittsburgh and Connecticut) due to a shoulder injury and failed to register a reception in the season finale at Stanford.

Rudolph has already been named first team preseason All-American by Sporting News, Yahoo! Sports and Lindy’s, and Athlon listed him as a third team preseason All-American. Phil Steele, Athlon and Linday’s also ranked Rudolph as the nation’s top tight end.

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.

The 2010 John Mackey Award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the winner will be announced on December 9, 2010.

The John Mackey Award presented since 2000, lists nine NFL players as alumni: Dallas Clark (’01) of the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts, two-time Super Bowl Champion Daniel Graham (’02) of the Denver Broncos, Kellen Winslow II (’03) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two-time Super Bowl Champion Heath Miller (’04) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Marcedes Lewis (’05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Matt Spaeth (’06) of the 2008 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, Fred Davis (’07) of the Washington Redskins, Chase Coffman (’08) of the Cincinnati Bengals and the 2009 John Mackey Award recipient Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots.

2010 John Mackey Award Watch List
Dwayne Allen, So., Clemson
Jeffery Anderson, Sr., UAB
Tim Biere, Jr., Kansas
George Bryan, Jr., NC State
Ryan Deehan, Jr., Colorado
Drake Dunsmore, Sr., Northwestern
Charlie Gantt, Sr., Michigan State
Cameron Graham, Sr., Louisville
Ladarius Green, Jr., Louisiana
Marcus Green, Jr., Mississippi State
Virgil Green, Sr., Nevada
Ryan Griffin, So., Connecticut
Ben Guidugli, Sr., Cincinnati
Joe Halahuni, Jr., Oregon State
Blake Hammond, So., Western Michigan
Brett Huffman, Sr., Duke
DC Jefferson, So., Rutgers
Andrew Jones, Jr., Missouri
Lance Kendricks, Sr., Wisconsin
Kevin Koger, Jr., Michigan
Brian Linthicum, Jr., Michigan State
Anthony Miller, Jr., California
Kyle Rudolph, Jr., Notre Dame
Eric Peitz, Sr., Colorado State
Zach Pianalto, Sr., North Carolina
Konrad Reuland, Sr., Stanford
Weslye Saunders, Sr., South Carolina
Lee Smith, Sr., Marshall
Luke Stocker, Sr., Tennessee
Aron White, Jr., Georgia
DJ Williams, Sr., Arkansas
Alston Umuolo, Sr., San Diego State

— ND —