Notre Dame gem Jake Tafelski hopes to make journey from Dearborn to NFL draft

Jake Tafelski had just dropped off a few family members near Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers ’ home opener in 2024 when his phone rang from a number he didn’t recognize. Tafelski played four years of football at Central Michigan as a backup running back and special teams standout and entered the portal as a graduate transfer that spring hoping to prolong his playing career. Michigan State had reached out a few hours earlier – then-coach Jonathan Smith still had openings on his roster a few months after he took the job – and Iowa State had expressed interest.

But when Tafelski answered the phone and the caller identified himself as Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden, Tafelski’s heart skipped a beat. Growing up in Dearborn, Tafelski dreamed of playing for the Irish, where his father Tom’s cousin was a walk-on a few decades earlier and his grandfather, Bill, was an ardent supporter of the school. Bowden told Tafelski they saw him as a big back and core special teams player, wanted to bring him to campus as a walk-on and asked if he would apply to the school that night.

Tafelski called his dad, a longtime NFL agent, as soon as he hung up the phone, then drove straight to his grandpa’s house to tell him the news. When he did, Bill’s eyes welled with tears. “It was pretty insane just to get that call,” Tafelski recalled.

“He’s like, ‘Yeah, man, we’d love to have you. We like your film. ’ And I always tested well too, and they saw all my testing numbers and they knew I could be an asset and help out the team in any way I could.