SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tommy Tremble’s surname doesn’t suggest what happens to him on the field so much as the feeling that overtakes an overmatched opponent as Tremble barrels his way.
As Notre Dame ran for 353 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 42-26 victory over Florida State, Tremble’s blocking played a vital role. In particular, the counter play that the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish used to great effect was powered by Tremble’s relentless seek-and-destroy blowups of Seminoles linebackers.
“That’s a play where I know I trust my pullers,” redshirt freshman running back Kyren Williams said after going for a career-high 185 yards and two scores. “I trust the tight ends coming across and kicking out whoever that is. When Tommy was pulling, he was able to hit a block for me, and I was able to hit the hole and explode through for a touchdown.”
Tremble leads Notre Dame with nine receptions for 110 yards, but his blocking must concern unranked Louisville just as much as his pass-catching skills heading into Saturday afternoon’s trip to Notre Dame Stadium.
The product of Atlanta’s northeast suburbs made his college debut against the Cardinals 13-plus months ago on Labor Day 2019. Tremble made the most of his long-awaited opportunity, hauling in three of Ian Book’s passes for 49 yards and a touchdown to earn the game ball.
The redshirt sophomore remains a tempting target as he roams the seam and flashes sufficient speed to get behind enemy safeties. Even if the ball doesn’t come his way, Tremble is content to blow up the guys in the wrong-colored jerseys.
Book has called him “the best blocker I’ve ever seen,” and no positional qualifier was used in that recent rave.
The son of former Cowboys safety Greg Tremble, an All-SEC choice at Georgia in 1992, Tremble has never shied away from contact. Tremble, who has long worn his dad’s old No. 24, made his reputation as a defensive end and linebacker before moving to tight end as a junior at Johns Creek (Ga.) High School.
“Back in high school, I loved playing defense,” Tremble said. “[The coaches] wouldn’t let me play defense. They made me play offense.”
Transferring to the private Wesleyan School before his final season gave him a chance to play both ways again, but he suffered a gruesome ankle dislocation making a tackle against Business Engineering Science Tech High in Week 2.
Surgery and six months of rehab followed before Tremble was able to run again on a football field, but he had reclaimed much of his explosiveness and physicality by the time he arrived in South Bend.
“Honestly, I just loved contact,” he said. “I loved playing the game of football. It’s just pure passion for me. I don’t know. -Every time I’m on the field, I want to just be dominant — and I try my best to [be].”
Asked how a perfectly delivered block compares to a catch, Tremble grinned.
“I promise you it feels just as good,” he said. “I love doing it.”
He’s just as imposing with the ball under his arm in short yardage and was given a carry out of the H-back spot in Week 2 against South Florida. As first-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees looks for more ways to maximize Tremble’s varied talents, power rushing could be among them.
“I love being a fullback,” Tremble said. “It’s not a problem with me.”
Bears rookie Cole Kmet, Tremble’s -predecessor at Notre Dame, was an equally devoted blocker who climbed into the -second round of the NFL Draft.
By the time he’s done with the Irish, Tremble might find his pro stock in a similar neighborhood.
After playing last season at 225 pounds, the 6-3 Tremble used the extended shutdown to bulk up to 252 by summer’s end. Along with senior Brock Wright and precocious freshman Michael Mayer, Tremble is the front man for the two- and three-tight end sets Notre Dame has been using regularly.
“We all can just block downhill — hard blocking,” Tremble said. “And then next thing you know, we’ll beat you over the top with speed. I think having that versatility is just amazing.”
