Notre Dame TE Kevin Bauman to miss rest of 2022 season with torn ACL
One of Notre Dame’s strongest positions at the top of the depth chart has taken another depth hit. Junior Kevin Bauman, the No. 2 tight end behind leading receiver and offensive centerpiece Michael Mayer, tore his ACL during practice and will miss the rest of the season, head coach Marcus Freeman said after Saturday’s game against North Carolina.
Bauman did not play against the Tar Heels and initially walked out on the field on crutches pregame. He was later seen wearing a brace.
Bauman’s role as Mayer’s sidekick gave him a prominent spot in the Irish’s offense. He was a No. 2 in designation only and part of the game plan each of the first three weeks. He played 75 snaps over the first three games and started the opener at Ohio State. He caught 3 passes for 44 yards, with 22 of those yards coming on one catch against the Buckeyes. Notre Dame also used him on punt teams and the field goal unit.
The injury to Bauman is the second major one to a tight end in the last three months. Sophomore Mitchell Evans – who was competing with Bauman for the No. 2 job this spring – suffered a foot fracture in mid-July and is expected to return at some point this season. That return is not imminent, though. Evans has yet to resume practicing and is looking a best-case return date of Oct. 8 vs. BYU.
“He’s out of the boot and making his progression towards a return,” Freeman said.
Without them, Notre Dame has five healthy scholarship tight ends.
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Bauman’s injury and Evans’ continued absence meant an increased workload for freshman tight ends Eli Raridon and Holden Staes. Staes started against North Carolina alongside Mayer. Raridon also saw extended action in the game.
Raridon logged a combined 7 snaps in the last two games, while Staes saw just 2. Freeman indicated during preseason camp that both were likely to see the field this year, but perhaps not in notable roles until later in the season.
That timeline is now accelerated, and at least one of Raridon or Staes avoiding a redshirt seems even more probable.
Sophomore Davis Sherwood is the No. 3 tight end on the depth chart and played 9 snaps over the first three games. His usage is likely to increase as well, as it did against North Carolina. Bauman was a run blocker on 55 of his 75 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. That role lends itself to more snaps for Sherwood, who has drawn positive reviews as a blocker since moving to tight end this past spring. Fellow sophomore Cane Berrong has not played yet this year.
Bauman (6-foot-4 ½, 252 pounds) was a four-star signee in Notre Dame’s 2020 class out of Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic. The On3 Consensus ranked him as the No. 243 overall player and No. 7 tight end. He has 5 catches for 59 yards in 12 career games over three seasons with the Irish. A broken leg in the 2021 opener at Florida State sidelined him for two months.
