Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football Tyler Eifert
Notre Dame football TE Tyler Eifert. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

4.  Tyler Eifert, TE, 2009-12

  • 140 receptions, 1,840 receiving yards, 11 receiving TDs

Notre Dame has a long line of great tight ends, but in the modern era, Tyler Eifert reigns supreme. Eifert, who replaced Kyle Rudolph as the starting tight end, had a phenomenal career at Notre Dame, with the vast majority of his playing time coming between 2010 and 2012.

That 2012 season, in particular, Eifert was one of the major offensive weapons that Everett Golson and Tommy Rees were able to rely on.

Eifert is ninth all-time in terms of career receptions at Notre Dame, and first among tight ends. He was also a captain for the 2012 season, which included six receptions for Eifert in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama.

Along with all of that, Eifert won the Mackey Award and was an All-American in 2012. He would go on to be a first-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2013 NFL Draft.