Notre Dame landed a huge commit in the class of 2020 today when Alexandria (Ky.) Covington Catholic four-star tight end Michael Mayer pledged to the Fighting Irish.

The 6-5, 240-pounder informed Notre Dame offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Chip Long of his decision on Sunday, July 1 and made his commitment public after that on Twitter.

It was clear early that Notre Dame was going to be a major player in this recruitment. Both myself and 247Sports National Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong put in 247Sports Crystal Ball picks for the Fighting Irish back in January, just a few weeks after he was extended a scholarship offer from Notre Dame.

“The Notre Dame offer meant a lot to me,” said Mayer earlier this spring. "Like my school, that’s a Catholic university, so that’s awesome. The tradition of Notre Dame, the tight ends they produce, it’s big-time college football. They have done a great job of getting those guys to the NFL. The tradition is so rich. When I went up there for the Miami (Ohio) game, it was incredible. It was a sold-out crowd.”

Notre Dame beat Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State and many others for his services. Mayer, the No. 5 tight end in the country per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, is arguably the most complete player at his position in the 2020 cycle. According to 247Sports National Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong, Notre Dame is getting a terrific land and one the staff had to land.

"No question he's one of the top tight end prospects in the 2020 cycle, Mayer has all the traits coveted at the position, particularly his ability to stretch the field and be a vertical threat with his combination of size speed and top notch ball skills," said Wiltfong. "Mayer is a factor on both sides of the ball on his high school team. He’s tough and physical at the point of attack. That is something that will also translate at the next level. Notre Dame wants to use him in-line and motion him around as a mismatch. This is a good recruiting win for Notre Dame because these are the schools that, when they have high profile prospects, those are the guys Notre Dame needs to get to compete for championships. Mayer is a coveted guy from a catholic school and they did all the right things to secure his pledge."

Mayer’s pledge gives Notre Dame three commits from the class of 2020. He joins New Canaan (Conn.) high school four-star quarterback Drew Pyne, the nation’s No. 115 overall player in the country, who committed back on Apr. 16, as well as Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic four-star tight end Kevin Bauman, the country’s No. 106 overall prospect, who announced for the Fighting Irish on June 13.



The key behind this recruitment was Mayer’s relationship with Long. The two hit it off during his multiple visits to South Bend and despite only being a 2020 target, he felt like a major priority for the Fighting Irish assistant coach. In addition, it was special teams coordinator Brian Polian who played the role of the secondary recruiter in this process. All that said, Pyne should get some credit as well. He made it known early to both Mayer and Bauman that he wanted to play with them at the next level and wanted to bring back “Tight End U” to South Bend. With this trio committed in 2020, it’s a great start.



Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Mayer is listed as the No. 223 overall player nationally and No. 2 prospect in Kentucky from the 2020 class. 247Sports in its standalone rankings as the No. 228 overall player in the country, No. 4 tight end in the class and No. 2 recruit in Kentucky next cycle.



As a sophomore, Mayer had 14 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

