Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1047749
50 NOV. 12, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY DAVID MCKINNEY A fter the 2018 season, Notre Dame will have a new-look kicking game with all-time Irish points leader Justin Yoon wrapping up his productive career at the end of the campaign. The next specialist in line is sopho- more Jonathan Doerer, who covered for an injured Yoon during the 44-22 win over Navy Oct. 27. He came to Notre Dame on scholarship in the class of 2017 and has been primarily a backup for Yoon as the placekicker and served as a kickoff specialist dur- ing his two seasons in South Bend. Doerer has been inconsistent on kickoffs, with opponents returning two kicks for scores in the first seven games of the season. Those struggles raised questions about Doerer's abil- ity to take over the primary place- kicking role once Yoon departs. Rather than hand the job to Do- erer, the Irish have opted to give him some competition. Harrison Leonard, a current senior at Avon (Conn.) Old Farms, com- mitted to Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on Oct. 18. The No. 7-rated kicker in the class of 2019 by Kohl's Kicking, Leonard has dreamed about playing for Notre Dame for as long as he can remember. "My whole life has been praising Notre Dame," Leonard said. "When I said it was going to be automatic, I truly meant it. When I was given the opportunity, it was a no-brainer for me. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime, and I want to make the most of it." Leonard took an official visit to Notre Dame for the Vanderbilt game Sept. 15, and special teams coach Brian Polian informed him he'd be coming to Connecticut during Notre Dame's bye week and would extend a preferred walk-on offer after a quick evaluation. When the offer finally came, Leon- ard was ecstatic. "It was unreal," he recalled. "To have this opportunity is such an honor. It didn't sink in until a couple days later, and I still can't believe it. It's so exciting." The Connecticut talent believes there are several factors that make him a coveted placekicker. "I'd say my best attribute is that I'm an athlete," Leonard said. "Most people think kickers are maybe not the most athletic, but I play almost every other sport. "Playing other sports and being in competitive situations has allowed me to have really strong mental toughness, and it's given me the abil- ity to learn quickly." When he arrives at Notre Dame, Leonard will study the art of kicking under Polian. The Irish pledge said he's looking forward to continuing to build an already solid relationship. "My parents love him," Leonard stated. "He's up front, he's honest, and I was really impressed with the way he conducted himself. "I feel like he's really going to help me over the next four years." As a high schooler, Leonard has been working with Jamie Kohl, the founder of Kohl's Kicking Camps, a nationally recognized evaluator of kicking specialists. Kohl told Blue & Gold Illustrated that the Irish will be in a good spot in the kicking game as long as Leonard is on campus. "He's a guy that stuck out right away at camps," Kohl said. "He's got superior leg speed and is a stronger player than a lot of other guys his age." Kohl, who started Kohl's Kicking in 2000, said that Leonard has trans- formed into one of high school foot- ball's most consistent kickers. "He's really established himself as one of the best prospects in the country," said Kohl. "I think he'll add depth to that roster immediately and be in contention for playing time early in his career." Early in his high school career, Leonard was not only a kicking pros- pect — he was a heck of a baseball player too. He was a starting pitcher for Old Farms, but eventually began to focus fully on kicking. "He's really become a master of his craft," Kohl explained. "He put together some really solid college camps this summer. At one of our camps in May, he hit a 63-yard field goal off the ground. "He's shown well at a lot of differ- ent places." Kohl, who ranks more than 200 kickers across the country, noted there are several factors that make the No. 7-rated Leonard very cov- eted. "Besides the obvious leg talent and the ball jumping off his foot, he's had opportunities to experience pressure situations," Kohl said. "Generally, guys who are successful in different types of pressure situations will do better in an environment like Notre Dame. "It takes a different type of person to be successful there." ✦ Kicker Accepts Preferred Walk-On Offer Avon (Conn.) Old Farms product Harrison Leonard is rated as the No. 7 kicker in the class of 2019 by Kohl's Kicking. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME RECRUITING VIA TWITTER "He's really established himself as one of the best prospects in the country. I think he'll add depth to that roster immediately and be in contention for playing time early in his career." KICKING EXPERT JAMIE KOHL ON HARRISON LEONARD