Who is Kevin Bauman? The Notre Dame tight end out for the season with torn ACL

Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Kevin Bauman continues to have trouble staying healthy and getting on the field. The redshirt junior partially tore his right ACL in his knee during the program's fall camp and is expected to miss the entire 2023 college football season.

This is the second time in less than a year that Kevin Bauman has torn his ACL and will need to recover from the injury. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is going to have to get a little more crafty with his tight end rotation as he navigates the regular season, beginning in exactly two weeks.

Bauman has been sidelined by injury for the majority of his Fighting Irish career as he had only played in three games before originally tearing his ACL in 2022.

Who is Kevin Bauman?

Kevin Bauman was one of the best tight ends entering the 2020 season as he was considered a top-five tight end in his class. However, he has not really seen much action throughout his collegiate career for Notre Dame.

He only played in one game in his freshman and sophomore seasons respectively. He made a five-yard reception in 2020 and a 10-yard grab in 2021. He saw some more action during the 2022 season as he appeared in three games and had three catches for 44 yards (14.7 yards per reception) before sustaining the ACL tear.

Bauman is not the only Notre Dame tight end dealing with multiple ACL tears as sophomore Eli Raridon is also recovering from the injury he suffered in October.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end is the oldest tight end on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish roster and has a lot of experience. Even in a season where he is not going to see the field, Kevin Bauman can still be a strong addition helping out the young group at the position while he continues to rehab.

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How does Kevin Bauman's injury affect the 2023 Notre Dame season?

Any injury is going to play a factor in a team's season but Bauman has not played too much of a role on the field. This Fighting Irish team can be an independent force and continue to make money on its media deal. The program does not have too tough of a schedule but will play some big games at home against Ohio State and USC, as well as on the road against Clemson.

The final record will be minusculely affected by this injury but it still is disheartening to see.