Notre Dame junior tight end Kyle Rudolph (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) will forgo his final season and make himself available for the 2011 NFL Draft, Rudolph announced Wednesday.
The 6-6, 265-pounder leaves Notre Dame with the fourth-most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end for a career in school history.
“Notre Dame is such a special place and because of all the people I met over the last three years this decision was very tough for me,” Rudolph said. “I truly feel I have grown up here and this has become a home away from home
for me.”
Rudolph totaled 90 receptions for 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns for the Fighting Irish and started 28 of 29 career games played at Notre Dame. He ranked in the top 10 in single-season receptions in school history, catching
29 passes as a freshman, 33 as a sophomore and 28 in 2010 despite missing
the last seven games of the season.
“Kyle Rudolph has a very bright future ahead of him and he will instantly make some lucky NFL team much better next year,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. “I know this was a tough decision for Kyle because of the great
relationships he formed at Notre Dame and he will be missed in the locker room next year. But we are happy for him and his family and are excited to watch him represent the University of Notre Dame during this next chapter of
his life.”
One of the top tight ends in the nation the last two years, Rudolph was a semifinalist in 2009 and 2010 for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to college football’s top tight end.
As a junior, Rudolph tallied 328 receiving yards and three TDs while starting each of the first six games. He was on pace to break Notre Dame’s single-season record of receptions by a tight end and record the second-most receiving yards in a season by an Irish tight end prior to sustaining a season-ending hamstring injury.
The highlight of Rudolph’s 2010 season occurred in the second game as he tallied a career-best 164 receiving yards
on eight receptions and one TD against Michigan. Included in that game was a 95-yard touchdown reception, the second-longest pass play in Notre Dame history.
Rudolph became the first freshman to start a season opener at tight end for the Irish in 2008 and he started every game in his rookie season.
Kyle Rudolph’s Place in the Irish Record Books
Single-Game Receiving Yards By Tight End 1st, 164 yards (Sept. 11, 2010
vs. Michigan)
Single-Game Receptions By Tight End 2nd, 8 (Sept. 11, 2010 vs. Michigan
and Sept. 18, 2010 at Michigan State)
Career Receptions By Tight End 4th, 90
Career Receiving Yards By Tight End 4th, 1,032 yards
Single-Season Receptions By Tight End 7th, 33 (2009)
Single-Season Receptions By Tight End 9th, 29 (2008)
Single-Season Receptions By Tight End T-10th, 28 (2010)