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With 32 seconds left in the third quarter, Notre Dame kicker Marcello Diomede shanked an extra point wide right to keep a 1-7 Boston College team within one score. Diomede was the third Irish kicker to miss in this game, with senior Noah Burnette missing an extra point early in the second quarter and freshman Erik Schmidt missing a field goal to close the first half. This wasn’t just a player having a bad game. This was a problem throughout the entire kicking program. As head coach Marcus Freeman recounted after the game, “Every time we kicked, the ball did not go in.” To make matters worse, ESPN cameras showed Schmidt and Diomede laughing and joking around immediately following the miss, raising even more questions about the seriousness of Freeman’s kicking squad.
The tumultuous story of kicking does not start in Chestnut Hill, however, but all the way back in Week Three. In the Irish’s 41-40 loss against Texas A&M, holder Tyler Buchner dropped the snap on a late extra point that would end up as the blow that dropped Notre Dame to 0-2 and eventually kept them out of the CFP. To add injury to insult, starting kicker Noah Burnette, who was a perfect 10-for-10 thus far in the season, was added to the injury list with a hip issue following the game. While a big blow, it paved the way for Schmidt’s collegiate debut.
The class of 2025’s third-ranked kicking prospect was expecting to barely see the field in his freshman year, and even had the possibility of redshirting. However, after beating out Diomede for the backup spot and Burnette's injury, the Milwaukee native got his chance against Purdue in Week Four.
A sold-out crowd of Irish faithful, desperatefor a win, looked on as Schmidt took the opening kickoff, beginning his college career. The kick was high and strong, but sliced left and out of bounds, placing Purdue at the 35- yard line. While not the ideal start, Schmidt bounced back and hit all eight of his extra points and booted the rest of his kickoffs for touchbacks. Despite a 31-yard miss late into the third quarter, it was a consensus that the first-year’s start was quality nonetheless.
Schmidt would remain as the starter on kickoffs for the rest of the season, splitting kicking duties with Diomede and a recovering Burnette until Week Ten. Following the disastrous BC game, Freeman decided to put his trust in Schmidt for the remainder of the season, reasoning that “if you're rotating three kickers, you don't have one.”
His decision proved to be the correct one, as Schmidt would finish the year hitting 31 extra points in a row to go along with consistent and strong kickoffs. He missed all three of his three-point tries; however, it is important to note his lack of opportunities. Coach Freeman elected to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking an easy field goal three times in the final two games of the season, not allowing Schmidt chances to build his confidence.
While many are quick to criticize Schmidt’s performance this season, they often overlook the fact that he was not expecting to start at all this season, let alone take his first college snaps on one of the hottest seats in college football. Given the circumstances, Schmidt posted a promising freshman year, finishing 41-42 on extra points. With Burnette graduating and Diomede entering the transfer portal, he is primed to take a sophomore leap and solidify himself as the Irish kicker for years to come.