Notre Dame Football: Irish defense shines once again in win over Vanderbilt

3. Jonathan Doerer is a work in progress

When it comes to kickoff specialist Jonathan Doerer, it seems as if we’ve seen more work than progress so far. Doerer, a sophomore out of North Carolina, wasn’t particularly effective as a placekicker, going 9-for-16 on field goals in his final high school season. Needless to say, Doerer was brought in for a very specific purpose.

Senior Justin Yoon has always been a valuable asset when it comes to converting field goals, but his struggles with power have been evident in field goal attempts and kickoffs alike. The idea of bringing in an athlete such as Doerer for this specific purpose made sense, but he has struggled mightily in his new role.

Doerer wasn’t all too impressive in last year’s attempts, but this year has been a different story. After recording touchbacks on almost every kickoff as a highschooler, Doerer has already sent two kicks out of bounds this season. As seen today, Doerer has been either hot or cold when kicking the ball off.

Notre Dame has put a lot of time and effort into transforming Doerer into a consistent kickoff specialist, even arranging a meeting between him and a sports psychologist. It’s far too early to give up on him, as there is all the potential in the world for him to thrive in this role. However, we’re going to need to see more consistency out of him from here on out.