HEADLINE

Notre Dame TE Kmet declares for NFL draft

Field Level Media

January 02, 2020 at 9:26 pm.

Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet announced Thursday he is leaving early for the 2020 NFL Draft.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision because while I am ready for the NFL, I was not sure I was ready to say goodbye to Notre Dame,” Kmet wrote on Twitter. “It is hard to say goodbye to so many amazing people.”

After missing the first three games in 2019 with a broken collarbone, Kmet finished his junior season with 43 receptions for 515 yards and six touchdowns.

Kmet began his season with nine catches for 108 yards and a touchdown in a 23-17 loss to Georgia on Sept. 21. He ended it with two grabs for 33 yards in the Fighting Irish’s 33-9 victory over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl on Saturday.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Kmet caught 60 passes for 691 yards and six scores in three seasons. Some outlets have pegged him as the top available tight end in the draft.

He is the second Notre Dame player this week to announce his departure, with running back Tony Jones throwing his name into the NFL draft pool on Tuesday.