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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.
#39 Jonathan Doerer, Kicker
Next up for the Irish is 6’3, 200 lb kicker from Charlotte, NC. Doerer enters this year after the departure of Notre Dame’s all time leader scorer and 4 year starting kicker, Justin Yoon. Doerer has an opportunity to step up after gaining some valuable, yet inconsistent playing time over the last 2 seasons. He was the primary kick off man a season ago, but was not a sure thing despite clearly having a big leg. He has 88 kickoffs under his belt (34 touchbacks), went 5/6 on PATs, and made his lone field goal on a 32 yard attempt vs. Navy. He will look to improve on his consistency and prove he can be the go to kicking specialist for the Irish this year. He showed improvement during Spring and went 6-6 on extra points and 1-2 during the Spring game. Hopefully he can take these steps forward to boost his confidence heading into Summer camp.
Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, or Chicago
Again, always doing T-Swift. As a kicker, he will have to not only battle the crowd and his own psyche, but the elements as well. Also, this cover is just delightful.
Hey Dog HEY!
Irish Setter
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For the red hair, obviously. Also, this pup looks majestic.
2019 Outlook
Doerer has the opportunity to step up and this year and be a critical piece for the Irish. He will be pressured by incoming freshman kicker, Harrison Leonard, who will push for time immediately. This is a situation where healthy competition should help Doerer, and allow him to step up as he could absolutely be “the guy” this year. To expect him to match the production of Yoon is foolish, but to expect him to be a solid kicker who hits a couple of big kicks is not out of the question. The hope is that he gets comfortable early in the season as he should have plenty of opportunities against Louisville and New Mexico. I won’t have true confidence until he hits a high pressure kick down in Athens though. The kicking position is a serious concern for the Irish this year, but time will tell who fills the shoes of Justin Yoon.