Takacs' BC Debut Reminiscent of Hunter Long's Stardom
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
In one game at Boston College, graduate transfer tight end George Takacs recorded more receiving yards than he did in his 29-game Notre Dame career.
Takacs caught seven balls—one shy of his Fighting Irish total—for 84 yards during last weekend's season opener. He was a security blanket for quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who arrived at Notre Dame with Takacs in 2018.
Takacs' target volume, route running and production were reminiscent of former BC star Hunter Long, who led the FBS in receptions (57) in 2020, en route to becoming a third-round pick of the Miami Dolphins that following spring.
"During the game, that's the first thing I thought about," wide receiver Zay Flowers said Tuesday. "When I was seeing him make plays, I was just thinking about Hunter the whole time. And he wore 80, too, so it kind of threw me off a little bit."
BC head coach Jeff Hafley said he was joking with Takacs that the 6-foot-6, 247-pound tight end looked a bit gassed toward the end of the game against Rutgers. Takacs reminded him that he hadn't been tackled like that in a long time, Hafley said.
After all, Takacs was primarily an inline, blocking tight end for Notre Dame. Even though the Naples, Florida, native saw his snap count jump from 67 to 407 in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus, he was targeted only four times for the second year in a row. Takacs did run 135 routes, per PFF, but All-American tight end Michael Mayer accounted for most of the targets while racking up 71 catches, 840 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
"George can run, he's fast," Hafley said. "He caught the ball really well. There were a lot of things I didn't exactly know what we would see in that first game. That was one of them because we hadn't seen much of it."
Hafley added: "I think you're gonna see him have a really good year, and he knows he could have played better, too, which is exciting because he's so locked in. But I'm happy for him. I'm happy to have him."
Takacs, who feels like he's finally learned his way around Boston, said that adjusting to this new style of play, in terms of route running endurance, will come with time. He noted that he's been getting in extra cardio after practice to further prepare for such outings where his number is called frequently in the pass game.
Takacs mentioned how his connection with Jurkovec helped against Rutgers. The duo has been playing together, on and off, for four years. The non-verbal cues are there, and it makes Takacs an even more dangerous vertical threat.
Takacs believes he fits in well with BC's offense, particularly since the Eagles have three dynamic starting receivers in Flowers, Jaden Williams and Jaelen Gill.
"Having someone else that can run down the seams and really stretch the defense is a huge advantage, especially with the safeties having to respect those outside receivers," Takacs said.
Takacs won't be abandoning his blocking ability at BC, though. Hafley made that clear Tuesday as well. The Eagles need him in that department, considering how little experience they have up front.
Additionally, Takacs has been thrust into a leadership role in the tight end room. Originally, Joey Luchetti, a starter last year, was the senior leader. But after Luchetti medically retired this offseason, Takacs had to step up.
He recalled learning from Notre Dame standouts like Cole Kmet, Alize Mack and Tommy Tremble.
"I'm just trying to take the things that those guys did so well—that really, really, really helped me come along and helped me stick with it," Takacs said. "And then ... try to pass it on to those younger guys."
