Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2018

Just talk about this facility. You’re playing here all week. It’s a little unique. Definitely phenomenal place. I’m probably never going to forget this place. It’s a different dome atmosphere. I’m totally in love with this turf, especially. I just love how flat it is, and it’s perfect for kickers. You can’t get a more beautiful field. Maybe ND, but that’s about it. It’s just phenomenal, and I really appreciate being here. Fortunate enough to be here.

Have you gotten used to people introducing you as all-time leading scorer? Not yet. I don’t think so. I’m speechless at this point. Like I said, all I’ve been doing every day is making sure I do what I need to do for this team. It’s all about making sure we win. Before I knew it, it happened. So I think it’s a lot of fan support I get that helps me get through every game. So I’m really truly grateful for everything that’s happened to me.

As a placekicker people know you kick field goals and your job is to make them go through the uprights and make points. Another job is kickoffs and that’s a lot more complicated than people think. What do you need to do to limit returns? I think the way Coach [Brian] Kelly always talks about if you can get it as deep as you can, then you will help our team, so I think that’s the most important thing. If I can get it within like five yards deep to ten yards deep, that’s the most important thing. I don’t know what their schemes are. We’re going to play our schemes.

Every now and then the kicker gets to be the last man on the field. I focus in on what I do. I don’t think about what other people do. What I don’t need to think about is this is the last kick, oh, my God. That’s going to freak me out. There’s obviously going to be some nerves, I’ll be aware of that, but if I can calm myself at that moment and produce what I have been capable of doing in time, I think that will help me get through what I need to do.

I’ve heard you talked about in the NFL draft circles. What are your thoughts after you graduate, NFL maybe? They’re saying draft or free agency. You’ve got

Notre Dame leading all-time scorer. Thoughts on the NFL or what are you going to do after? What are you majoring in right now? I’m a finance major. You go to university for a reason. You go to get an education, a degree. So I’m fortunate enough to be able to graduate soon and, in fact, this December or January I’ll be graduating. And so I’ll have that behind me and to face whatever challenges I have trying to get a job. So that’s always good, a plus. But like I said, if I’m trying to go further and go to the NFL, it’s not just given to you. It’s something that you work for, especially a kicker. So hopefully I’ll be one of the fortunate ones to get there. If not, like I say, I have something to go back upon.