From Football To Faith, Grad Transfer Kicker Spencer Shrader Is Perfect Fit With Notre Dame

On Tuesday, Notre Dame received a commitment from South Florida graduate transfer kicker Spencer Shrader. With Blake Grupe exhausting his eligibility after this season, the kicker position quickly became a big need for the Irish staff.

Shrader spent four years a part of the South Florida program and quickly generated a ton of interest once he entered the transfer portal. The Florida native gave the Irish Breakdown staff some insight into how he ended up with Notre Dame.

It was a quick and thorough journey, eventually leading to dawning the blue and gold for his final season.

"After four years of playing for USF, I felt it was time for me to find a new and challenging adventure!” Shrader explained. "I loved my time at USF and it will always be home to me. It was very hard for me to leave but it was made easier since all my original coaches and friends that I came in with have since left.”

It can be a hectic experience transferring historically. Navigating the transfer portal is a challenge amongst itself. Shrader was able to quickly generate a ton of interest and navigate the landscape accordingly.

"My experience in the portal was a whirlwind!” Shrader exclaimed. "I was contacted by over a dozen schools within an hour and was very blessed to have many Power Five scholarship offers.

"Even with many attractive offers it wasn't hard for me to choose Notre Dame,” he continued. “It is the perfect mix of faith, family, and football. Notre Dame stands for something and I appreciate that. I can't wait to give my all for this university.”

Shrader is blessed to have a great support system around him. Some of his coaches were able to help him get connected with Notre Dame quickly, eventually leading to this commitment.

"My special teams coordinator, Daniel Da Prato, and my kicking coach, Brandon Kornblue, both know Coach Brian Mason,” Shrader explained. “Coach Mason was looking for a grad transfer kicker with experience and they felt like I was the perfect fit. He visited me in Tampa Bay and shortly thereafter I visited Notre Dame. It didn't take me long to know that Notre Dame was the place for me.”

Of course there is a massive need for Notre Dame, that part of the fit makes complete sense. Ultimately it was a feeling for Shrader. He has values that he carries tremendously that was also a big layer to his decision.

"My faith is at the forefront of everything that I do,” he said. “What appealed to me was how historic and iconic Notre Dame is and how classy of an institution they are. They don't just throw money at players and overlook character, they care deeply about the type of people that attend their school. I align with everything that the University represents.”

The former South Florida standout has already set a variety of goals that he would like to accomplish while a part of the Notre Dame program. He laid out those goals to us clearly.

"My number one goal is to impact people in a positive way through my faith, while also contributing to on the field success,” he said. “I know that Notre Dame will be supportive of my goals as a brother in Christ before all else! I turned away major SEC opportunities from Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Alabama because I felt like this was the place I belonged.

"As I mentioned before, my Faith always comes first,” Shrader continued. “I do my best to be a consistent leader through my actions on a daily basis. The type of person I am is so much more important than the type of football player I am. I believe I can be a high achiever on and off the field and I will also do my best to contribute to ND as a football program and as a University. My goal is to be the best kicker that I can be.

"I can't wait to get on campus, this place is special! Go Irish!”

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.