Notre Dame landed their first addition from the transfer portal since it opened up on Monday, securing a commitment from South Florida placekicker Spencer Shrader. With the graduation of senior kicker Blake Grupe, finding a replacement in the portal became an important, but overlooked priority.
Special teams evaluating can be a fickle duty. There are some who specialize in such things, and have garnered the trust of college coaches all across the nation. Among the most trusted voices in the industry is Brandon Kornblue, who is the founder of Kornblue Kicking and a part of the selection process for the US Army Bowl.
He also happens to be the personal coach for Shrader, who he believes is a tremendous fit to take over the kicking duties for the Irish. Kornblue provided some insight into Shrader’s background and how he has gotten to this point.
"I first met and started working with Spencer just after his senior year in high school,” Kornblue said. "He was already committed to USF but had little to no formal training. In high school, nobody knew about him.
"USF found a diamond in the rough,” Kornblue continued. "Notre Dame has done the same thing.”
It didn’t take long for Shrader to find interest in the Notre Dame program. Once Kornblue became aware, he assisted in connecting both sides.
"Once Spencer entered the portal, he communicated to me his interest in Notre Dame and I introduced him to Coach (Brian) Mason,” he explained. "Once Mason saw his film and heard my glowing recommendation of him, the wheels were in motion and it happened fast.”
Shrader visited Notre Dame this past weekend and both sides seemed very positive about the fit. For Shrader, he gets to spend his final season as part of a storied program with the chance at a premier education.
As for what Notre Dame is getting, Kornblue gave a breakdown of the talent that the Florida native possesses.
"He’s an NFL level kicker,” Kornblue stated. "He was under the radar coming out of high school and has remained that way. Those who have actually seen him kick realize his talent. He is truly mature beyond his years and will be a tremendous fit for Notre Dame.
Originally beginning his career as a walk-on for the University of South Florida, Shrader would quickly take hold of the place kicking duties for the Bulls. He put together his best season during the 2021 season when he connected on 11-13 of his field goal attempts, including a career long of 52 yards.
During his career, Shrader would also make all 95 of his extra points.
In his final year, Shrader also put together a tremendous effort as a kickoff specialist. He would record 50 total touchbacks on 62 kickoffs.
More must-reads: