CovCath community celebrates Michael Mayer, awaits NFL draft selection

Roughly 200 members of the Covington Catholic community celebrated one of their own in the ESPN spotlight Thursday night.

They left disappointed when Michael Mayer, a 2020 graduate of CovCath, was not selected in the first round of the NFL draft in Kansas City.

While most every person in attendance wanted the Cincinnati Bengals to take the hometown product and have him roam around the field at Paycor Stadium, the Colonel faithful will no doubt cheer him on wherever he lands. Mayer will likely be taken Friday night in the second or third rounds.

After some “Who Dey” chants, there were many groans from the crowd when the Bengals selected Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy with the 28th pick.

Mayer will be the first Covington Catholic graduate to be selected in the NFL draft.

“I’m excited for Michael, excited for his family,” said CovCath athletic director Tony Bacigalupo. “I think that really shows where our football program is going and we have big hopes going forward.”

CovCath held a stag Thursday night in its gymnasium with alumni and other supporters watching the draft on three TV screens, including a giant one that hung from the ceiling.

Friends and football fans chatted with each other all night, and quickly became silent when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the podium.

While they watched the show, CovCath had raffles for memorabilia signed by Mayer.

Mayer was in his family home in Independence with friends and CovCath football coaches. ESPN showed the gathering leading up to the Dallas Cowboys’ pick at 26.

ESPN showed a lot of highlights of Mayer at that point, comparing him to all-time Dallas Cowboy legendary tight end Jason Witten.

Buffalo took University of Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid with the 25th pick, the only tight end taken in the first round.

Mayer finishes his college career as the most productive tight end in Fighting Irish history. He leads Notre Dame tight ends in career yards (2,009), catches (180) and touchdowns (18). He's third overall on Notre Dame's receiving list with 180 receptions, doing so in only three seasons.

This season, he broke his own single-season touchdown record for tight ends at Notre Dame with nine and totaled 67 catches and 809 yards.

At CovCath, he was a dominant force on both sides of the ball, helping the Colonels win state championships in 2017 and 2019.

“Defensively, he would attract two or three blockers, which freed other guys up to the make the play, and the same thing throughout his career at Notre Dame," Bacigalupo said. "The attention that the defense had to give him as a tight end would free the other guys up. He’s meticulous with his preparation, his film study and he’s going to be an excellent pro. He’ going to make a team very happy, not only with what he can on the field, but off the field as well.”

Mayer’s selection will make a lot of unique history in local sports circles.

Mayer would become the third member of his family to be drafted in three different professional sports. Luke Maile, a Covington Catholic graduate now playing catcher for the Cincinnati Reds and Mayer's cousin, was drafted twice by Major League Baseball franchises. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 2012 after being selected in the eighth round out of the University of Kentucky.

Their grandfather Dick Maile was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in 1965 in the NBA.

He was a CovCath star who went on to become an All-American and two-time All-SEC basketball player at LSU. He was a two-time first team All-Southeastern Conference selection and a third team NABC All-District selection in 1965. He finished his career as the third leading scorer and rebounder in LSU history, with 1,284 points for a 17.4 average and 722 rebounds for a 10.4 average. He led LSU in scoring and rebounding for three consecutive years.

Michael Mayer will eventually join a relatively short list of Northern Kentucky high school products who have reached the NFL.

Five Northern Kentucky products have played in the Super Bowl.

Mike Mitchell out of Highlands was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.

He joined former Northern Kentucky high school players Doug Pelfrey of Scott High School, Marty Moore of Highlands, Irv Goode of Boone County, Shaun Alexander of Boone County in the hall.

More than that, Michael Mayer and his brother A.J. have been key members of the CovCath community.

“The family is the best we’ve ever had,” Bacigalupo said. “They’ve just done an excellent job of raising some unbelievable kids. He’s been here at spring ball the last couple of weeks. I think it’s great for our kids to see, hey, this is what hard work gets you.

“I think the greatest thing about Michael is when he steps over that line on the field, he’s an absolute warrior. He’s prepared. He’s disciplined. When he’s off the field, just an unbelievable gentleman. When my kids are around him, he’s great with them. He helped me move into my house when he was in eighth grader and his dad had a storage company. That’s the type of family they are.”