Notre Dame Football: 5 signees who will have instant impact in 2019
By Jacob Wilson
4. Jay Bramblett, P
Of all the Irish recruits on this list, punter Jay Bramblett has the clearest path to a starting job. With the Irish special teams unit in need of some housekeeping after the losses of specialists Justin Yoon and Tyler Newsome, Bramblett comes in as the number one punter in the 2019 recruiting class.
As it stands right now, the Irish have little other options outside of Bramblett. With only a walk-on or two behind him, Bramblett’s success is of extreme importance to the Irish. We’ve seen Newsome turn the tides of games with exceptional punts in the past, games that would’ve been toss ups if not for Newsome’s field-flipping abilities.
Newsome was a natural leader as well, a quality that Bramblett may not be able to display as a freshman. Bramblett’s physical abilities, however, are of little question. Bramblett is in every way deserving of his near-consensus number one ranking, showing off his incredible potential as a high schooler.
The job is likely Bramblett’s in 2019 whether or not he plays up to the level of expectations. Further discussion may be warranted should he fall short, but that’s a conversation for 2020. As for now, Bramblett stands as the only freshman all but guaranteed a starting spot for the foreseeable future.