BREAKING | Notre Dame Lands Australian Punter Jasper Scaife

Merry Christmas. 

Notre Dame fans and Marty Biagi might be celebrating the holiday on Thursday, but it’s already the 26th in Australia, which is the home to punter Jasper Scaife, who just gave his pledge to the Fighting Irish. 

The 6-foot-5, 187-pounder was selected with the No. 5 pick in the AFL mid-season rookie draft in May 2024 after kicking 11 goals in seven WAFL games. Scaife later suffered a finger injury that impacted his time with Hawthorn, and he was released by the club in September 2025.

Before that, Scaife produced 45 goals in 27 games for Hawthorn’s VFL affiliate, Box Hill, and also represented his state at the Under-18 Championships in 2022.

Notre Dame will gladly welcome Scaife’s leg, as the Irish need depth at punter following the departure of fellow Australian James Rendell, who exhausted his eligibility after two seasons in South Bend.

Rendell enjoyed significant success with the Irish, finishing strong in 2025 by averaging 44.6 yards per punt with 13 punts inside the 20-yard line and just one touchback.

Scaife is expected to compete with soon-to-be sophomore Erik Schmidt for punting duties in 2026 and will arrive with four years of eligibility.

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