Hellacious group of athletes being discussed in this thread. I really respect the multi-sport success! Smith and Jacobs even having the opportunity to do it in college is impressive.

 

Mayer is definitely a big dude. Does he have the frame to add the size needed to be an NFL TE prospect? Is there any chance he winds up as DE/LB ... like Connor Barwin.

 

I don't think he has the speed to be a DE at the NFL level. Those guys are just on another level. He certainly has the frame and skill to be a TE at any level. The sky is the limit for him.

Can't forget big Tate Nichols Ryle grad played at ND and the Conner grad Kuhn who played for UL and the in the NFL.

I don't think he has the speed to be a DE at the NFL level. Those guys are just on another level. He certainly has the frame and skill to be a TE at any level. The sky is the limit for him.

 

How fast is Buten number 26 for Highlands? I ask because I saw Mayer relatively easily run him down and gobble him up on one tackle. Mayer is making tackles from sideline to sideline from his middle linebacker slot against fast running backs.

How fast is Buten number 26 for Highlands? I ask because I saw Mayer relatively easily run him down and gobble him up on one tackle. Mayer is making tackles from sideline to sideline from his middle linebacker slot against fast running backs.

 

Buten is a very quick sophomore in HS. No doubt Mayer is a GREAT high school linebacker. I'm just saying NFL DE quickness is a whole different thing. His game/body is better suited at TE. Not a knock on him at all. Just saying where he fits best.

Buten is a very quick sophomore in HS. No doubt Mayer is a GREAT high school linebacker. I'm just saying NFL DE quickness is a whole different thing. His game/body is better suited at TE. Not a knock on him at all. Just saying where he fits best.

 

Average 40 time for an NFL tight end is 4.77.

 

Average 40 time for an NFL defensive end is 4.88.

I believe that this will be better to answer when Mayer finishes his senior season. Mayer is obviously a phenomenal athlete and Smith was for Highlands too. They are comparable in many ways to this point. Definitely not an easy answer right now IMO, which could very well remain that way.

How fast is Buten number 26 for Highlands? I ask because I saw Mayer relatively easily run him down and gobble him up on one tackle. Mayer is making tackles from sideline to sideline from his middle linebacker slot against fast running backs.

 

Last Friday was the first time this year I have seen him play but dude takes some great angles. That is a great equalizer when someone is quicker than you by a step or two.

I played against Derek Smith for 4 years in high school, watched him play basketball, and have watched 2-1/2 years of Michael Mayer playing football, and 2 years of basketball.

 

Speaking in regards to basketball, Smith was the superior athlete. I think that was pretty evident in the fact that he was being recruited for college basketball in addition to college football recruiting. In the fall of his freshman year at UK, Derek had Tubby Smith encouraging him to walk on at Kentucky for basketball, but as someone posted above, he opted to focus on football. Comparatively, Michael is definitely an aggressive workhorse on the basketball court, and he makes for a hell of a defensive player in high school basketball, but he doesn't compare to Derek on the basketball court, and as far as I know, he's not had any major attention from any college basketball programs. Smith averaged 21.2 pts and 7.8 rebs per game as a high school senior and had a career 2299 points and 974 rebs. Mayer isn't close to that on the basketball court. Smith also lettered in baseball at Highlands as an outfielder, if I'm not mistaken.

 

Football though. Derek was fast...I remember watching him and thinking it looked like he ran in slow motion because of his super-long strides, but he was so fast. However, I don't ever recall watching Derek chase anyone down the way that Michael has done on the defensive side of things. I would personally guess Michael may be a bit faster, but that is completely a guess. The other thing I remember is how high Smith could stretch his arms. Lorenzen could just launch the ball high above everyone, and Derek would unfurl his arms and pull the ball down from above everyone without having to leave his feet. Michael has a similar ability in terms of height and reach, but on the flip side, with sophomore Caleb Jacob passing the ball, I've also seen Mayer have leap up over defenders from TE, come down with the ball, and then run for another 15 or 20 yards after sloughing off one or two defenders. I'm not saying Smith never did that, but I never saw him do it...at least not the way that Mayer has.

 

Derek was and Michael is an exceptional blocker as a tight end. I remember watching Derek completely shut down his opponents on the offensive line, and have actually thought back to that on multiple occasions when watching Michael. Like @El Diablo said, we still have the remainder of Mayer's high school career to watch and continue to compare, but I think for the most part, the two stack up very very well to one another in terms of high school tight ends.

 

I believe one of the things that made trouble for Derek in college football and the NFL was the change at UK from Mumme's coaching administration to the Morriss coaching administration. Derek was stuck contending with '98 Danville grad Chase Harp for the TE position at Kentucky...he was red-shirted for part of one season and then brought on for a bowl game or something like that, more or less losing a year of eligibility. Then the Morriss coaching staff was vocally critical of his blocking abilities, and he ended up leaving UK after his junior season to enter the NFL draft. He floated around NFL practice squads for a couple of years before heading back to finish out his final year of college eligibility playing hoops at NKU. I've wondered in the past if Derek may have had more potential in the NFL had he opted for one of the other colleges he was being recruited by (Notre Dame, Miami OH, Wisconsin, Florida State, Miami FL, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee) instead of heading to Kentucky. I hope we see something different for Michael resulting from his choice to go to "Tight End U" at Notre Dame.

I played against Derek Smith for 4 years in high school, watched him play basketball, and have watched 2-1/2 years of Michael Mayer playing football, and 2 years of basketball.

 

Speaking in regards to basketball, Smith was the superior athlete. I think that was pretty evident in the fact that he was being recruited for college basketball in addition to college football recruiting. In the fall of his freshman year at UK, Derek had Tubby Smith encouraging him to walk on at Kentucky for basketball, but as someone posted above, he opted to focus on football. Comparatively, Michael is definitely an aggressive workhorse on the basketball court, and he makes for a hell of a defensive player in high school basketball, but he doesn't compare to Derek on the basketball court, and as far as I know, he's not had any major attention from any college basketball programs. Smith averaged 21.2 pts and 7.8 rebs per game as a high school senior and had a career 2299 points and 974 rebs. Mayer isn't close to that on the basketball court. Smith also lettered in baseball at Highlands as an outfielder, if I'm not mistaken.

 

Football though. Derek was fast...I remember watching him and thinking it looked like he ran in slow motion because of his super-long strides, but he was so fast. However, I don't ever recall watching Derek chase anyone down the way that Michael has done on the defensive side of things. I would personally guess Michael may be a bit faster, but that is completely a guess. The other thing I remember is how high Smith could stretch his arms. Lorenzen could just launch the ball high above everyone, and Derek would unfurl his arms and pull the ball down from above everyone without having to leave his feet. Michael has a similar ability in terms of height and reach, but on the flip side, with sophomore Caleb Jacob passing the ball, I've also seen Mayer have leap up over defenders from TE, come down with the ball, and then run for another 15 or 20 yards after sloughing off one or two defenders. I'm not saying Smith never did that, but I never saw him do it...at least not the way that Mayer has.

 

Derek was and Michael is an exceptional blocker as a tight end. I remember watching Derek completely shut down his opponents on the offensive line, and have actually thought back to that on multiple occasions when watching Michael. Like @El Diablo said, we still have the remainder of Mayer's high school career to watch and continue to compare, but I think for the most part, the two stack up very very well to one another in terms of high school tight ends.

 

I believe one of the things that made trouble for Derek in college football and the NFL was the change at UK from Mumme's coaching administration to the Morriss coaching administration. Derek was stuck contending with '98 Danville grad Chase Harp for the TE position at Kentucky...he was red-shirted for part of one season and then brought on for a bowl game or something like that, more or less losing a year of eligibility. Then the Morriss coaching staff was vocally critical of his blocking abilities, and he ended up leaving UK after his junior season to enter the NFL draft. He floated around NFL practice squads for a couple of years before heading back to finish out his final year of college eligibility playing hoops at NKU. I've wondered in the past if Derek may have had more potential in the NFL had he opted for one of the other colleges he was being recruited by (Notre Dame, Miami OH, Wisconsin, Florida State, Miami FL, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee) instead of heading to Kentucky. I hope we see something different for Michael resulting from his choice to go to "Tight End U" at Notre Dame.

 

Great summary of the 2!

Derek Smith was ranked as a top 50 overall recruit in the country. I don't know much about Mayer, but we will see if he gets ranked near that level.

Derek Smith was ranked as a top 50 overall recruit in the country. I don't know much about Mayer, but we will see if he gets ranked near that level.

 

Currently Mayer is ranked the #5 TE in his class by rivals.com. Interestingly, the #2 TE in the class also has already committed to Notre Dame.

Derek Smith was ranked as a top 50 overall recruit in the country. I don't know much about Mayer, but we will see if he gets ranked near that level.

 

The last I saw, Michael Mayer was listed at #52 in the country.

Thus far in Michael's career on offense:

 

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD=align: center]Receptions[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Yards[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Avg[/TD]

[TD=align: center]TD[/TD]

[TD=align: center]TD Rate[/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]So.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]14[/TD]

[TD=align: center]232[/TD]

[TD]16.6[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4.7[/TD]

[TD]1 in 5 catches is a TD[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Jr.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]46[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1036[/TD]

[TD]22.5[/TD]

[TD=align: center]12[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3.8[/TD]

[TD]1 in 4 catches is a TD[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Sr.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]33[/TD]

[TD=align: center]676[/TD]

[TD]20.5[/TD]

[TD=align: center]11[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3.0[/TD]

[TD]1 in 3 catches is a TD[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Total[/TD]

[TD=align: center]93[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1944[/TD]

[TD]19.9[/TD]

[TD=align: center]26[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3.6[/TD]

[TD]1 in 4 catches is a TD[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

 

He also had 9 yards rushing in 2018, and thus far this season he has 35yds rushing and 1 TD.

Thus far in Michael's career on defense:

 

 

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 600]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD]

Solo

Tackles

[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Assisted

Tackles[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Total

Tackles[/TD]

[TD=align: center]

TFL[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Defensive

Sacks[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Forced

Fumbles[/TD]

[TD=align: center]Fumble

Recoveries[/TD]

[TD=align: center]

INT[/TD]

[TD=align: center]

Pick-6[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]So.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]42[/TD]

[TD=align: center]37[/TD]

[TD=align: center]79[/TD]

[TD=align: center]N.R.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]N.R.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]N.R.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]2[/TD]

[TD=align: center]0[/TD]

[TD=align: center]0[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Jr.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]80[/TD]

[TD=align: center]18[/TD]

[TD=align: center]98[/TD]

[TD=align: center]18[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Sr.[/TD]

[TD=align: center]54[/TD]

[TD=align: center]12[/TD]

[TD=align: center]66[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1.5[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3[/TD]

[TD=align: center]0[/TD]

[TD=align: center]3[/TD]

[TD=align: center]1[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Total[/TD]

[TD=align: center]176[/TD]

[TD=align: center]67[/TD]

[TD=align: center]243[/TD]

[TD=align: center]21[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4.5[/TD]

[TD=align: center]7[/TD]

[TD=align: center]6[/TD]

[TD=align: center]4[/TD]

[TD=align: center]2[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

Derek Smith's career stats (1995-1998):

 

Offense

84 receptions for 2304yds and 36 TDs.

Average 24yds per catch.

 

Defense

163 tackles

22 TFL

19 Defensive Sacks

6 Interceptions

4 Forced Fumbles

9 Fumble Recoveries

Edited November 6, 20196 yr by Colonels_Wear_Blue