Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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football recruiting Walk-Ons Boost Irish Kicking Game Notre Dame received a boost this February when kicker John Chereson (above) and punter Andrew Antognoli decided to enroll at Notre Dame this summer as preferred walk-ons. Photo courtesy Cathedral Prep Athletic Department The fax machine in Notre Dame's football office received 24 national letters of intent on Feb. 6, inlcuding five already enrolled, but the coaching staff will be welcoming 26 new freshmen to the roster this summer. The Irish added a pair of preferred walk-ons during the final days of the recruiting season to provide some crucial depth in the kicking game. Andrew Antognoli, a punter, and John Chereson, a kickoff and field goal specialist, both agreed to pay their own way during their freshman year at Notre Dame while trying to earn a spot on the field. With scholarships in short supply, the Irish coaching staff needed to find a way to provide a safety net for specialist Kyle Brindza without dishing out any free rides. Nabbing two successful high school kickers as preferred walk-ons is another positive in a strong finish to the 2013 recruiting class. "We didn't find the punter we were looking for until later in the process," head coach Brian Kelly said. "Andrew is a guy we believe can come in and