Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2018 35 BY DAVID MCKINNEY After taking an unofficial visit to Notre Dame the weekend of June 25, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Hillcrest punter Jay Bramblett said the decision to commit to the Fighting Irish was a no-brainer, thanks in large part to the efforts of special teams coordinator Brian Polian. "Coach Polian put on a show for us," Bramblett said. "He made it feel like home." Beyond that, Bramblett said he fell in love with the atmosphere in South Bend. "It's ridiculous," he explained. "The campus is beautiful, and you can't ask for anything else when you think about where you're going." Bramblett is thrilled to get to play and learn his craft under Polian, a coach who puts a huge emphasis on special teams. "He's one of the best in the busi- ness," the punter stated. "When you're coming to college, you want a place where they know what they're doing, and Notre Dame makes spe- cial teams an important part of the game. "You can see the importance of it to Coach Polian." The moment he committed was thrilling for Bramblett and Polian. "He was excited about it," Bram- blett said. "I'm stoked for it, and I'm excited to be part of the family." During the visit, Bramblett learned all about not only the football pro- gram, but also the university. After gathering all the information, Bram- blett said he knew Notre Dame was the place for him. "Coach Polian showed us a Pow- erPoint all about the school, and it really caught my eye," he noted. "Notre Dame is a great school, and the academic part of it is incredible. "There are only 8,500 students with a student-teacher ratio of 10:1, so my classes will be small. It's a good envi- ronment for me." With his recruitment behind him, Bramblett said he's ready to get to work and can't wait to arrive in South Bend. "It's great," he said. "I know where my home is now, and I'm really ex- cited about that." Chris Sailer Kicking ranks Bram- blett — who has been invited to par- ticipate in the All-American Bowl at San Antonio in January — as the No. 1 punter in the country. In addi- tion, Kohl's Kicking rates him as the nation's No. 2 punter. Both organiza- tions tabbed him as a five-star punter. Bramblett competed at Kohl's Southern Showcase Camp in May 2018 and won the punt competition with the highest score of any player during the organization's Showcase Camp Tour. "The technical progress he's made has been outstanding," Kohl's Kicking noted in its rankings. "His mishits are better than most high school punter 's 'A' ball. Bramblett hit multiple 5.0 hang-times this past May at the Southern Showcase. "He has been very impressive at previous Kohl's events, but his ath- letic and technical progress was dif- ferent this spring. He is one of the more college-ready punters we have seen in the last couple of years." Throughout his high school career, Bramblett has trained under Mike McCabe, a punting expert with One On One Kicking. McCabe has also trained current Irish punter Tyler Newsome and several other well- known punters in the NFL, including Johnny Hekker of the St. Louis Rams and former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee. McCabe said he sees a lot of simi- larities between Bramblett and Hek- ker. "The best punter in the NFL is Johnny Hekker," McCabe said. "He puts the ball to the sideline or two yards out of bounds to flip the field and keep your net extremely high. Hekker has a net of 46. Jay has a net of 41, and he's in high school." McCabe has worked with Bram- blett for several years and said his game has grown exponentially since high school began. "He's such a good athlete and a per- fectionist," McCabe explained. "He developed very quickly, and with a lot of athletes it takes a lot more time. He's a very good athlete." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Jay Bramblett is an impressive athlete, which is vitally important for a top punter … His athleticism and flexibility allows him to generate a lot of leg speed … Repeats his mechanics punt after punt … Gets a great deal of lift on the ball, which creates a lot of hang time and makes his punts harder to block … Shows a good feel for ball placement, and can locate the ball on the sideline and adjust his power … Has an advanced feel for getting backspin on kicks that he tries to pin inside the 10-yard line. Areas For Improvement Still young so adding more strength is needed, which should allow him to get even more distance on his punts without losing his impressive height … Could stand to add a bit more tempo in his catch and approach to the punt. — Bryan Driskell COMMITMENT PROFILE JAY BRAMBLETT Fighting Irish Land Elite Punter From Alabama Chris Sailer Kicking ranks Bramblett (pictured with Notre Dame special teams coordinator Brian Polian above) as the No. 1 punter in the class of 2019. PHOTO COURTESY JAY BRAMBLETT