Rittman Ready To Punt At Notre Dame
2018 Lawrence Free State (Kans.) punter Jake Rittman hadn’t been to Notre Dame before, but after a recent visit, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder knew it was the place for him and accepted a preferred walk-on spot with the Irish.
“It was really eye-opening,” Rittman said of his visit to Notre Dame. “I had never been there before, but I had heard so much about it. It was cool to finally see it in person.
“I came in contact with Coach Polian this year and stayed in contact with him. I went up for a visit and fell in love. I took the opportunity when he gave it to me.”
The atmosphere on and off the field stuck out to Rittman, but it was the family feeling that made the difference.
“The facilities, coaches and the tradition,” Rittman said of what impressed him in South Bend. “The sense of family was amazing. I loved everything about it.
“I got to meet Tyler (Newsome) and Justin (Yoon). It was pretty cool to meet them.”
Rittman held preferred walk-on offers from Air Force, Lehigh, Vanderbilt and a few Ivy League programs, but it was Polian’s pitch about academics that stuck with him.
“He told me Notre Dame was a great school,” said Rittman. “The connections and the alumni network are second to none, and it was a decision that would impact my life forever.
“The academic prestige was one of the big selling points for me. As far as what I want to study, I ‘m deciding between something in Business or Engineering.”
The Kansas native is excited to get to work in June and will have an extra step in his offseason training with his recruitment complete.
“I’ll be coming in as a punter,” stated Rittman. “My strength is leg strength, but I’m working on getting more flexible and getting my body in the best shape I can before I get to Notre Dame.”
Rittman also knows he will be following in some big footsteps as punter Tyler Newsome was named a captain last month.
“It’s awesome,” Rittman stated. “It speaks to his work ethic and the respect the other guys and the coaches have for him."