It’s AWARD WATCH LIST season for Notre Dame football and the rest of the country. On Friday, Irish tight end Mitchell Evans was named to the Mackey Award Watchlist.

From the ND press release:

Evans selected for Mackey Award watchlist

SOUTH BEND, Indiana. – Senior tight end Mitchell Evans has been selected for the 2024 Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. The award is given annually to the most outstanding tight end of the college football season.

Notre Dame has had one Mackey Award winner: Tyler Eifert was honored with the award in 2012. Eifert was a finalist in 2011, as were Anthony Fasano in 2005, John Carlson in 2006 and Michael Mayer in 2022.

Evans had a stellar season in 2023 before being sidelined by injury. As a junior, he played in eight games, starting seven of them, and finished the season as the team’s leading pass receiver with an average of 52.8 yards per game. In those eight games, Evans totaled 29 pass catches for 422 yards and one touchdown over the course of the season, for an average of 14.6 yards per catch.

The semifinalists for the Mackey Award will be announced on October 29, and the three finalists will be announced on November 26. The winner will be announced on December 12 at the Home Depot College Football Awards.