If there has been one unit that has held the Notre Dame football team back over the last few years, it's been special teams. That's why head coach Marcus Freeman and coordinator Marty Biagi are focusing on the group so much this winter.
There've already been some changes to the Irish roster among the special teams group. Punter James Rendell is out of eligibility. Holder Tyler Buchner and kicker Noah Burnette graduated.
This weekend, backup kicker Marcello Diomede announced he'd enter the transfer portal when it opens later this week. There's been one addition so far.
What Notre Dame football still needs at kicker after early special teams changes
The Irish went out and got a new punter. It's likely not a coincidence that they went and got someone from down under after Rendell's success.
Australian Jasper Scaife could end up being even better than Rendell. It certainly seems like the new punter has a sky-high ceiling.
The question now is what Notre Dame plans to do about its kicker. Erik Schmidt is the last man standing at the moment. While he hit 41 of 42 extra points this season, he also missed all three of his field goal attempts.
Freeman and Biagi will likely look for a kicker in the portal. That's been the way they've gone the last two years, to very mixed results. At the moment, the kickers who have signaled they're transferring are slim pickings.
Memphis' Gianni Spetic is the best of the bunch, hitting 15 of 20 field goals this past season and 46 of 62 career attempts. Nebraska's Tristan Alvano is the only other kicker who has much experience, but that experience hasn't been great. In his true freshman season, when he was the starting kicker, he hit just 9 of 15 field goals. The following year, he went 3-of-4 but didn't kick at all in any 2025 games.
With the Notre Dame football team's special teams overhaul squarely underway, who the Irish pick as their place kicker is a big deal. It's also possible they'll look to the portal for another punter as a backup plan for Scaife.