Michael Mayer is very familiar with new Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker.

Parker was Mayer’s tight ends coach last season with the Fighting Irish. While at the NFL Combine on Friday, Mayer spoke to reporters about his experience playing for Parker last season.

“It was easy to get along with coach Parker,” Mayer said. “The 1st thing he did was call me, right when he got hired. He wasn’t even on campus yet. Called me right away and said, ‘look, we’re going to do some special things this year. I already got some things in my mind I know we can do.’

“And the 1st day he got on campus, we went and met … And it’s not always about football for him. It’s always, ‘how’s life? How was your day?’ Things like that. And I think that’s important for a coach to do.”

Here’s video of his comments:

Mayer had a career year with Parker as his position coach last season. He was a finalist for the Mackey Award and is expected to be a 1st round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Mayer obviously won’t be in South Bend to help Parker transition into the OC role, but this is an impressive endorsement for the new play-caller.

Notre Dame is expected to have a competitive offense in 2023. The Fighting Irish added quarterback Sam Hartman earlier this offseason and also returns key offensive players like Logan Diggs and Joe Alt.