For former Notre Dame star Mitchell Evans, the biggest play of his year didn’t happen on the gridiron. It came via a social media post, with teammates from South Bend to Carolina rushing to congratulate him. Nearly a year after becoming a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Evans announced that he is set to tie the knot with his partner, Maeve Donaher.

“Thank you, God!!!!! (and newfs) I get to marry the love of my life and my best friend,” Evans Mitchell wrote in a collaborative post with his partner, Maeve Donaher, alongside a picture of the couple.

The couple started dating in November 2022. As of December 2024, she was a student at Saint Mary’s College. Evans and Donaher’s romance blossomed right alongside his breakout years in South Bend. While he was cementing his role as a top target for the Fighting Irish, she was studying just across the street. With those deep local roots, it makes sense that so many Notre Dame brothers rushed to celebrate their big news.

Quickly, congratulations poured in for the Carolina Panthers tight end, with his past and present football mates sending in their best wishes in the comment section. With a blue heart emoji that symbolizes the franchise’s brand color, the official Instagram page of the Carolina Panthers commented, “Congratulations!”

Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive end Isaiah Foskey wrote “aye congrat!!!!” in the comment section. Panthers guard Robert Hunt commented, “Congrats”.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s tight end Elijah Daniel Raridon also sent his wishes, “Let’s gooooo congrats guys!!” Ryan Fitzgerald, a football kicker for the Carolina Panthers, commented, “Congrats!” Fellow Carolina Panthers tight end James Mitchell sent his “congrats!!” as well.

In just a little while with the Carolina Panthers, the former Notre Dame player has quickly made an impression, and he is set to do even better as he enters his second year. The Carolina Panthers’ head coach, David Canales, had very good words to say about the tight end’s progress with the Panthers.

“What carries over from the film is just a really versatile guy,” Canales said of the 6-foot-5, 258-pound rookie. “So, whether it was the individual drills, going through blocking with Pat, the footwork stuff, you know, and then just being a reliable target, you know, he’s a really smooth mover in his routes, plays compact at the top. So I think just all those things—we just felt like a really well-rounded, clean football player, you know, and certainly fits into what we do.”

“I got to say, (Mitch) made the only one of the whole group,” shared Canales. “We’re excited about Mitch; he’s a fantastic athlete.”

Evans is enjoying life with the Panthers and is ready to pay them back for their faith in him.

“I’m going to let the coaches do their own thing and then just keep doing my own thing and just keep trying to get better every single day and help the team any way I can,” promised Evans. “And if that’s doing a trick play where I throw a ball, so be it. That’d be awesome, but we’ll see what the coaches have in store.”

That willing-to -do-anything mindset didn’t just appear overnight. It was the exact attitude that carried him from South Bend all the way to the big leagues.

The Notre Dame alum’s journey to the NFL

Long before he was selected as the 163rd overall pick in the 5th round, Evans was a quarterback at Wadsworth High School. But an injury forced him to switch to tight end, a move that has definitely paid off today.

His first season as a tight end was his junior season, and he pulled in 19 receptions for 306 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he was soon needed as a quarterback in his senior season, where he threw for 2,145 yards and 23 touchdowns. When he was about to be recruited, he used highlights from his tight end days to get recruited by Notre Dame.

In his first two years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Evans backed up Michael Meyer and played in 20 games, had five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown. Then, in his final two years, he picked up 72 receptions for 843 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 12.2 yards per catch.

As Mitchell Evans starts a new chapter in his personal life, the warm wishes from his Notre Dame and even the Panthers circles showed how loved he really is by the people around him. From football success to a happy moment off the field, this is clearly a special time for the young former Notre Dame TE.