Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Pregame Quote, 12/30/2024

Q. I’m curious, what this Georgia-Notre Dame game means? I imagine it might mean different verses the other serve guys given the fact that she (Kacie Evans) went to Georgia and marrying a big Bulldog family?

MITCHELL EVANS: Obviously, when this game got announced after BYU, we knew what we were going to play. There was a couple of text exchanges. I get a little friendly banter from her side of the family ‚Äì or her fiance’s side of family. It’s great. It’s fun.

Yeah, she went to Georgia. She had a great career playing volleyball. I remember, I was in like seventh or eighth grade going on visits with her to Georgia, so I’ve been to Georgia football games. I was actually at the Georgia-Tennessee when Tennessee threw the Hail Mary and beat Georgia.

Q. Oh, wow, in ’16?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, I was there. But I don’t think it means anything more. I don’t want to make it bigger than what it is, but obviously, when we catch a dub here, I’ll have the honor for the rest of my life. It will be good. It’s the only time I’ve played Georgia here, so it will be good.

Q. How is it brother/sister from Ohio became high-level athletes? What do you attribute that to?

MITCHELL EVANS: I just think like my parents. My parents have always been supportive of my sister and I and always pushed us to our limits when we were growing up, which I’m thankful for.

We did every sport growing up. I did – I was in gymnastics when I was like four. I played soccer. I did track. I did basketball. And obviously, I just stuck with football. She did all sports as well. But my parents always kind of try to get us playing at the highest level. She was playing two grades above what age she was. I was playing basketball year-round. I was playing football. And I just credit all our success, playing at the Division I level to my parents because they pushed us to do that.

Q. Do you find (Kacie Evans) her to be a sounding board when you have different sports but going through the trials and tribulations of being a college athlete and what you deal with here and there?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, my sister is two years older than me, so she was playing college ball before I got here. Going from high school to Notre Dame is a big adjustment. This is tough.

What do you do? So I was asking her. And then when I was going through some tough times through injury and stuff, I leaned towards her, hey, like, who should I talk to? How should my mindset be? And she was a good lead for that. So thankful for her for that.

And she always, on the flip side, or play big games, she’s texting me, go kicks ass, show people who you are and stuff. She’s been good for that. I’m really thankful for that.

Q. You think the best Notre Dame team you’ve played on?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, 100%. This is our best collective group. Yeah, athletes on both sides of the ball. We’ve got depth. We’ve had to balance injuries and stuff, but we’re still performing and executing at a high level. I would definitely say it’s the best team I’ve been part of.

Q. You’ve battled injuries too. You feel great now?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, I feel great. Since July 29th when we started camp, I’ve been playing ball, and I’ve felt good. Yeah, I feel ‚Äì

Q. Last year, that you were –

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, my sophomore year, I had a foot injury in the offseason. Missed a couple games. And last year, I tore my ACL against Pitt. Had surgery a couple days after that. I’m over a year now post-op, and I feel good where I’m at.

Q. Coaches are saying you kind of opened it up for other guys too to become more and more of a target, helps everybody else?

MITCHELL EVANS: That’s the goal. If we can execute at a high level no matter who gets the ball, that’s what we need to do.

Q. What stands out about the Georgia defense? Particularly, your part of what you’re going to face?

MITCHELL EVANS: Well, the good thing about the tight end position, you go through all three. They got it all across the board. Their D-line is a force. Really good, sound athletic backers. Their DBs will come down and fill in the run, and they’re pretty good. Got to get in the space and cover. We just got to win in space when we need to, make plays.

I just think a big key to this game will be controlling the line of scrimmage because their core is pretty damn good. It will be a great challenge for us. Not batting an eye at all. Yeah, I think it will be a good challenge for us because they got some dudes on the defensive side of the ball.

Q. You guys do too.

MITCHELL EVANS: That’s what I’m saying, people forget that. We’ve got athletes. We’re all confident. We’ve all had great preparation going in this game after IU and stuff.

So that’s what we’re leaning on. We’re leaning on our preparation and work and our mental and physical toughness and our group is fired up and ready to go.

Q. And has to help that you had a good year the whole year, but to go against the number one rushing defense like IU was and rush for whatever you did, 200 yards, you know, that’s got to be ‚Äì

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, that was a huge confidence booster. We knew going into that game that we just need to control the line of scrimmage, and we can do that. We have tremendous faith in our line, our tight ends, our running backs to be able to do that. And execute, and it built more on that faith and confidence and instilled more in us.

So go out and have a performance like that, it was good. And our defense is balling out. That helps too. That’s complimentary football that also helps us.

Q. And you’re going to be involved in some sort of wacky fake?

MITCHELL EVANS: Not that I know of. Nothing new yet. I mean, hey, we got a couple games to the game so.

Q. That fake field goal that wound up not happening because of the time-out, right?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah.

Q. That was you they threw the ball to, right?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, we had it in for a couple weeks. We put it in earlier in the season but didn’t get the opportunity to run it. And for that game, it came to fruition, we could run it against what they do. I didn’t think they would call it. But they called it when I least expected it.

Q. I don’t think you got the first down?

MITCHELL EVANS: Between me and you, I definitely didn’t get the first down. Because it was I think it was like fourth and 9. It was long. Even when they called it, okay. But hey, it was good. Yeah, that was a fun play to be part of. Good thing they called a time-out.

Q. Your mom (Jodie Evans) also is a volleyball player?

MITCHELL EVANS: Yeah, she played ball at Akron. She had a good career.

Q. Your dad (Adam Evans) an athlete?

MITCHELL EVANS: My dad played ball at Penn, Ivy League for a little bit and then transferred back to Kent State, played football for a little bit. And he played volleyball too. That’s how my parents met, they played volleyball together. I don’t know together but got the connection somehow. Playing volleyball. Big volleyball family.

Q. You play?

MITCHELL EVANS: I’ve played. I never played organized, but I was always around it 24/7 growing up. So I’d say I’m pretty good.