Notre Dame Tight End Michael Mayer Skipping Bowl, Will Enter NFL Draft

He ranks as one of the most successful pass-catchers in Notre Dame football history.

Junior Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer will enter the NFL draft, he said in a Tuesday afternoon Twitter announcement.

Mayer, widely considered the 2023 draft’s top tight end prospect, also announced he will not play for the Fighting Irish in the Gator Bowl. Notre Dame is scheduled to play South Carolina in Jacksonville on Dec. 30.

"I want to express my gratitude to my family and friends. They have supported me all throughout my life, but especially in empowering me to pursue my dreams," Mayer said. "The time has come for me to start the next chapter of my career."

Mayer leaves South Bend as one of the Fighting Irish’s most prolific pass-catchers of all time at any position. He recorded 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns in his three-year, 36-game Notre Dame career.

The Independence, Ky. native ranks 13th in receiving yards, third in receptions, and 10th in touchdowns on the Fighting Irish’s all-time leaderboard.

This season, Mayer virtually rewrote Notre Dame's tight end record book.

In the Fighting Irish’s 41–24 win over Syracuse on Oct. 29, he amassed 54 receiving yards to become Notre Dame’s leading tight end in that category, passing Tyler Eifert. An 11-reception outing versus BYU on Oct. 8 gave him another school record for a tight end, and a touchdown in Notre Dame’s 35–14 upset of Clemson on Nov. 5 gave him 16 for his career—one more than Fighting Irish luminary and College Football Hall of Fame tight end Ken MacAfee.

In his final career college game against USC on Nov. 26, Mayer recorded eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–27 loss to the Trojans.