Arkansas State Kicker Blake Grupe Transfers to Notre Dame For Final Season

Blake Grupe and Notre Dame took little time making the perfect connection.

The former Arkansas State kicker has transferred to Notre Dame just three days after announcing his intentions. The Irish will add the Sedalia, Mo. native for his final year of eligibility, shoring up a position thin after the departure of three-year starter Jonathan Doerer.

Grupe was a career 64-for-86 on field goals and 162-for-169 on extra points — both Red Wolves’ program records. The three-time Burlsworth Trophy nominee was 20-for-25 in his final Sun Belt season, including 16-21 in kicks over 30 yards. (His career long, 50 yards, was made against Tulsa this year.) PFF graded him a 71.3 this past year. He also earned All-Sun Belt Conference second team honors.

His best statistical season was 2019, when he was 19-for-22 on field goal and 53-of-54 on extra points, despite being injured. He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award that year. The 5-foot-8, 148 pound kicker also battled a preseason injury this year.

The Irish depth chart only includes one scholarship kicker: Josh Bryan, a rising-sophomore who kicked an extra point during Notre Dame’s 55-0 thumping of Georgia Tech. Chris Sailer Kicking considered Bryan the best kicker in the class of 2021.

Doerer finished 49-for-65 in his Notre Dame career on field goals and 162-of-164 on extra points. PFF issued him a 79.0 grade this past year.

Grupe was a letter-winner in football, soccer and baseball at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia and rated as a 4 ¹⁄₂ star kicker by Kohl’s Kicking Academy. The 23-year-old earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in the spring of 2020. He is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and a Barstool Athlete.