RAGONE A BIG LOSS FOR NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame tight end Mike Ragone caught just one pass last year, but make no mistake: The news that he’s out for the season with a knee injury is a significant blow to the Fighting Irish.Ragone was considered one of the top tight end prospects in the country when he committed to Notre Dame, and he’s one of the best athletes on the team. I thought Ragone had the chance to be one of the real sleepers in college football this season, the kind of player few fans have heard of in August but everyone knows by December. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Ragone has great speed for a big guy and is exactly the kind of target over the middle that quarterback Jimmy Clausen needs.Notre Dame will now turn to either junior Will Yeatman or freshman Kyle Rudolph at tight end. Yeatman is a fine blocker and Rudolph has potential as a pass catcher, but neither has the all-around athletic talents of Ragone. Ragone is a big loss.