Notre Dame football position preview: Irish stick with Aussie punter model

SOUTH BEND —Heading into his third year as the primary long snapper for Notre Dame football, Joseph Vinci has become fluent in Australian.

Or, to put it more bluntly, he knows what Aussie punters require to be at their best.

James Rendell, the first Aussie punter in program history, didn’t really take off until Vinci assumed the long-snapping chores midway through his freshman year in 2024.

Now that Rendell has moved on to the NFL, freshman punter Jasper Scaife of West Perth has taken the handoff, and Vinci is determined to make this a smooth transition.

“We kind of experienced that with James a couple times,” Vinci said in the spring. “If he’s rolling out, does he want the ball closer to him (or) more lead? That’s just something you feel out.”

Scaife, who assumed holding chores from Tyler Buchner, survived a whirlwind first spring after signing in December. Having a special teams coordinator like Marty Biagi, who kicked and punted at Marshall University, no doubt helped him settle in.

“A lot of times that comes from coach Biagi,” Vinci said. “He’s a punter. He’s worked with a handful of Aussies. It’s just finding what’s most natural for them. And at the same time, Jasper might not know what makes him hit the ball better.”

Trial and error tend to be the best teachers.

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“It’s just working together consistently a lot, and you just build a bond,” Vinci said. “Like a catcher and a pitcher in baseball, you know what to expect pretty much.”

As for placekicking, Notre Dame’s last successful field goal attempt was on Oct. 11 against N.C. State. Three different Irish kickers combined to miss three field goals and three extra points over the final six games.

With Purdue transfer Spencer Porath in place, the Irish should once again know what to expect from the field-goal unit.  

Porath’s 15-for-17 breakout in 2025 included a 3-for-3 performance in a 56-30 loss at Notre Dame Stadium in September. Shrugging off a lengthy lightning delay, Porath connected from 48, 35 and 26 yards at his future home field.

His career long is a 53-yard make last Nov. 15 at Washington. The Huskes, like Notre Dame, play on synthetic turf.

35 | K | Spencer Porath | 6-0, 200 | 3Y

19 | P/H | Jasper Scaife | 6-6, 215 | 1Y

96 | LS | Joseph Vinci | 6-4, 231 | 3Y

18 | P | Erik Schmidt | 6-2, 211 | 2Y

36 | K | Micah Drescher | 6-5, 196 | 1Y

49 | LS | Andrew Kros | 6-4, 227 | 3Y

Bold denotes projected starter

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football position preview: Irish stick with Aussie punter model