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Jay Bramblett, considered the Class of 2019’s top-rated punter by at least one specialty recruiting service, verbally committed Wednesday to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Chris Sailer, owner of Chris Sailer Kicking, was effusive in his praise of the 6-foot-2, 185 pound specialist. Of his No. 1 ranking, Sailer wrote:
“Jay is a big time high school punting prospect. A great looking athlete with an explosive leg. He has an ideal frame for a D1 college punter. Jay punts for outstanding distance and big hang time. He easily averages 45+ yards, with 4.6+ hang time. He also shows the ability to hit punts 50+ yards, with 5.0+ hang time. He has great hands, his footwork is solid and he is one of the most consistent punters in the nation. He is a great competitor that punts with confidence. Jay is a fine young man that is always a pleasure to work with. Look for him to dominate this off season and pick up multiple D1 offers. He will not last. Phenomenal prospect.”
Bramblett, of Hillcrest (Ala.) High School, received similar praise from Kohl’s Professional Camps. That group has him as the fifth-best punter in the Class of 2019.
“Bramblett recently earned an invite to the National Underclassman Challenge in January of 2018 after a strong performance during the December Showcase Camp of 2017. He is an impressive young punter and showed that he will be able to compete at the next level. He averaged 44 yards with 4.45 seconds of hang time on day 1 of the camp. He charted well by averaging over 45 yards per punt during the Showcase Camp. Bramblett attended the Winter Showcase Camp in December of 2016. He averaged 45 yards per punt during the charting portion of camp with multiple 50+ yard punts.”
Bramblett, who received his Notre Dame offer on May 26, announced his commitment by tweeting:
“First off, I want to say how thankful I am. God has blessed me with so much more than I could ever ask for. I want to say thank you to my family for everything they have done for me in this long process, especially my dad.
“I also want to thank Coach Sam Adams, along with the rest of the coaches at Hillcrest and Coach McCabe at One on One Kicking for helping me reach this point. It is a blessing to see that all of the hard work is beginning to pay off, and there is much more to be done. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me.
“I had a great visit at ND and I have received a full scholarship. After much thought with my family, I am committing to the University of Notre Dame! Go Irish!”
Bramblett held at least one other scholarship offer, from the Missouri Tigers. The Tuscaloosa resident was receiving interest from the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Penn State Nittany Lions, according to Irish Illustrated.
The Irish are in need of a punter next year, as graduate student Tyler Newsome enters his final season of eligibility this fall. The Irish also have sophomore Jonathan Doerer, who is listed as a kicker and punter.
Notre Dame jumped two spots in the Class of 2019 recruiting rankings following Bramblett’s commitment, from No. 8 to No. 6. They now trail the Florida State Seminoles by less than three points for fifth place.