Notre Dame football improved its record with a 37-26 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday.

Even so, one familiar problem showed up again for the Fighting Irish passing attack. The tight end room was nearly invisible, and the questions about how Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock are using that position keep piling up.

As a group, the Irish tight ends finished with just two receptions for 10 yards against Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels. That isn’t a one-week blip. It has been the story for a large chunk of this season.

Notre Dame tight end production by the numbers

The room is led by Cooper Flanagan and sophomore James Flanigan, and the overall output has been hard to look at. Through five games, Notre Dame tight ends have combined for 11 receptions for 79 yards and three touchdowns. That works out to fewer than 20 receiving yards per game for the entire position group.

This is a program known for great tight end play. If you ask me, this is some of the worst tight end production through five games that South Bend has seen in a very long time.

To be fair, both Flanagan and Flanigan are assets in the run game. That matters in this offense. The problem is what’s happening behind them.

Ty Washington has had a real struggle so far. He’s had some shaky moments when targeted in the passing game, and his reps as a run blocker against North Carolina were even worse. Jack Larsen has also been part of that rotation.

Neither has given the Irish a reason to keep a more talented option off the field.

Why isn’t Ian Premer playing?

That brings us to the obvious question. Why hasn’t Notre Dame found a way to get true freshman 5-star tight end Ian Premer on the field in any real capacity?

Through the first five games, the summer enrollee has seen only a couple of small opportunities in garbage time. He has yet to earn a target. It’s tough to see how Premer isn’t getting some type of chance over players like Washington and Larsen.

Here’s the thing: this isn’t a push for Premer to be the starting tight end today.

The 6-6, 245-pound athlete didn’t arrive until the summer. I’m sure there is still a mental learning curve and some physical development taking place behind the scenes. A full-time starting role is probably more of a reality heading into the 2027 college football season.

However, when the entire tight end room has produced 79 yards in five games, it’s a complete misuse of talent not to give him opportunities in some capacity.

There is a role for Premer right now

Premer doesn’t have to be a pure inline tight end. Denbrock could use him in multiple tight end formations, either flexed out wide or attached to the line of scrimmage. He could even become a goal line weapon, lined up into the boundary where his 6-6 frame creates a mismatch against a smaller defensive back.

There are plenty of ways to use an athlete like Premer. He doesn’t need to know the entire playbook. A talent of his caliber can hold down a package and a niche in this offense while he continues to learn the rest of it.

That need is only magnified by the issues Notre Dame has at slot receiver. Right now, the middle of the field passing options just aren’t good enough.

Denbrock hasn’t always been the best coordinator when it comes to tight end usage and carving out roles for them in his offense. Still, it has never been this lackluster. Premer is too talented to sit while this passing game needs a jump-start from that position.

Something needs to change

The Irish have seven regular season games left. That’s plenty of time to figure out how to best use Premer’s skill set and give this room a spark.

A proud tradition like the Notre Dame tight end room can’t settle for this little production. There is too much talent on the roster for the position to look like this. Get Premer on the field, find his niche, and see what he can do. Something needs to change.