Notre Dame K Jon Doerer Leading Youth

Notre Dame senior kicker Jon Doerer spoke with a member of the Fighting Irish media team as the special teams room is going through a transition. 

Three-year starter John Shannon is off to the real world and that opens the door at the long snapper position. True freshman Alex Peitsch is expected to handle the duties this fall as he was the top-ranked long snapper in the country. 

"It's been a lot of fun being with the guys again,” Doerer said. “They've been doing really well. We have some young guys and new faces out there, but it's been a lot of fun in the early stages to see them get their first college practices under their belt. It's been great." 

Doerer took the program by storm last year as he went 57-for-57 on extra points, 17-for-20 on field goals and that included two from beyond 50 yards.

The 108 points scored by Doerer in 2019 was the most prolific scoring season by a kicker in school history, but the work didn’t stop despite the challenges of COVID-19. 

"I had a lot of time at home, so I could work whenever I wanted to,” stated Doerer. “Most of the time, it was spent working on consistency, whether it be striking the ball with my foot pad or trying to be more consistent so I can have more confidence and trust on the field." 

Doerer now look to lead his special teams unit into uncharted territories as the 2020 season will be anything but normal. However, he hopes he does get the chance to hit a game-winner during his final year at Notre Dame. 

"I've never actually gotten the opportunity to kick a game-winner, so I don't have a set answer,” said Doerer when asked about his celebration. “I'd be pretty excited and maybe a little celebration and maybe a wave to my mom. Family-friendly, maybe."