Notre Dame added a critical piece to the 2019 class today when punter Jay Bramblett committed to the Irish. Rigneys, rejoice! I know, nobody (besides the Rigneys) cares about specialists, but hear me out on this one… With punting stalwart Tyler Newsome in his final year of eligibility, it was absolutely critical that Notre Dame secure a quality punter in this class. Kicking guru Chris Sailer ranks Bramblett as the #1 punter in the country this year; he looks to have everything he needs to step right into Newsome’s shoes in 2019. It’s also worth noting that Bramblett hails from Tuscaloosa; Alabama picked up a commitment from Sailer’s #3 punter and #1 placekicker, Will Reichard, a week ago, but even so, pretty cool to grab a kid from the home of the Crimson Tide.
Recruiting Service Rankings
Sailer — 5 star (5.0 rating), #1 P
247 Sports — 3 star (80 rating), #1679 overall, #2 P, #66 in AL
Rivals, ESPN — Not evaluated
Cohort
In addition to Notre Dame, Jay Bramblett holds an offer from Missouri and was being recruited by Alabama, Arizona, LSU, Mississippi State, and Penn State.
Highlights
Four minutes of Jay Bramblett booting the ever loving hell out of the ball. Gotta love it. The first punt on here goes 46 yards and is pinned perfectly against the sideline for no return. The next one goes 45 yards and out of bounds for no return. The next one goes 55 yards and stops on a dime at the 10. You get the idea.
I have no idea how to evaluate punting technique, but I know this kid kicks it high and far with excellent placement. That sounds pretty good.
Impact
Bramblett will start immediately, filling in for Newsome and allowing Jon Doerer to focus just on placekicking. There’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be a four-year starter and a field position weapon throughout.
Welcome to the Irish family, Jay!
We knew we needed a specialist in this class and this kid is the best-case scenario. Very pleased with this pick-up.
Also, this bumped ND up from #8 to #6 in the 247 Composite rankings. That seems like a pretty significant boost from landing a punter.
Yeah, especially a punter only ranked by 247 with a composite of .7999 This seems like 247 has finally weighted specialists above their composite score to reflect their true importance to a team.
It is crazy that a punter would raise the team recruiting comp by two spots. We are, once again, in a brand new world.
I think Newsome’s consistency and skills have been somewhat taken for granted. A good punter can be a tremendous asset to the defense and Bramblett seems to fill that need. Great sign.
Talent at any position is a nice addition!
I love the kid in the bottom left of that picture, he looks like he’s about to start bawling.
Was really hoping to be camp champion.