Rutgers adds a kicker and a punter from overseas

A major question mark for Rutgers football heading into the season is the kicking game after Valentino Ambrosio announced he was transferring last month. While the Scarlet Knights do have a kicker with some experience with Guy Fava, along with unproven Michael O’Connor and incoming freshman Jai Patel, the coaching staff has added another option.

Irish kicker Jude McAtamney was announced by the program on Monday night and arrives with two years of eligibility. He is transferring from Division II Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. McAtamney played Gaelic football in Ireland and is a big part of his own family history. However, he was inspired by other international kickers converting to American football and has followed that path. He had originally been accepted by ProKick in Australia, the same program Adam Korsak came from, but did not attend after the global pandemic Covid-19 began.

While McAtamney is a bit of unknown without any FBS or FCS college football experience, this video shows the range and potential that he has that surely impressed Greg Schiano and the staff.

In addition, here are his season highlights from Chowan University. There should be optimism his big leg travels well.

Rutgers also announced another international addition on Monday night with Aussie punter Flynn Appleby. He has a full four years of eligibility remaining. Appleby earned individual honors in the Australian Football League recently and is likely the staff’s projected replacement for Korsak as the All-Big Ten punter enters his last season of college football.

It’s likely Appleby will redshirt this upcoming season and focus on his own development with the opportunity to replace Korsak in 2023. Appleby has also been a part of ProKick Australia where Korsak trained prior to Rutgers.