Game Changers: Leader Kicking lining up the NFL

This season the biggest marker of progress wasn’t just the athletes we sent — it was the response from America.

Within six months of our first wave landing in the U.S. and playing games, we were receiving direct calls from Power Five and top Division I programs asking specifically for Irish specialists. That’s when we knew the shift had happened.

College football is the second-largest revenue generating sport in the world. For those programs to actively seek Irish talent shows that this is no longer a novelty — it’s a recognised pathway.

We’ve taken athletes who were released from provincial rugby academies and, had them playing in front of 80,000 people on full scholarship — in some cases earning six-figure NIL deals on top. That transformation in such a short space of time has been incredibly rewarding. Helping Irish and European players find their next passion in life while getting their degree is a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about making the jump to American Football from rugby (or any sport)?

The biggest misconception is that it can’t be done.

We’ve transitioned 17 athletes with zero American football experience into starting college kickers and punters within 12 months.

Rugby players actually have a built-in advantage. They grow up as athletes first, and many of the best athletes are also the kickers. In the U.S., specialists are often an afterthought until later.

If you have elite athleticism and a powerful leg, the ceiling is very high.

Both — but mindset is the separator.

Technically, rugby players understand space, pressure, and ball striking mechanics all of which you’ll have to do in American Football. But the biggest edge is competitive composure. They’ve played in front of crowds. They’ve taken pressure kicks.

That said, you need more than raw talent. You need coachability, discipline, and a genuine love of high pressure moments. In American football, you might only get one opportunity in a game — and it could decide everything. Charlie’s first kick in the NFL was a game winner with no time left. He smashed it. It was unreal. 

You have to learn patience, preparation and you have to embrace the moment when it arrives.

It’s an adjustment.

In rugby, you’re constantly involved. In American football, you might wait three quarters for your moment.

But when there are four seconds left and the game comes down to you — that’s what specialists live for.

The harder part is after a miss. You may not get another opportunity that day to redeem yourself. That mental resilience is crucial.

I retired during COVID, which ironically softened the transition because the whole world slowed down.

But looking back, I would have loved the opportunity to apply my kicking skills to another professional pathway.

Rugby gives you transferable skills — leadership, discipline, resilience — and that applies in business, finance (I saw that at JP Morgan where I did the Athlete Transition Programme), and other sports.

I’d encourage players to think earlier and explore options. You could find yourself earning a degree in Florida while playing in front of 90,000 people. That’s a serious alternative pathway.

And use your network. Rugby Players Ireland and the rugby community are incredibly supportive when you ask for help. Our door is always open for any rugby player wanting to give American Football kicking a go. Just give us a message on Instagram.

Credibility.

In the early years, we were asking American programs to invest scholarships and salaries worth $500,000–$600,000 into athletes who had never played the sport.

That required trust and wasn’t easy. 100s of phonecalls and flights to the States ensued along with our lads going to open kicking camps and beating out 1000s of other kickers. 

We solved it by being extremely selective. We didn’t send volume — we sent quality. Every athlete we’ve placed has outperformed expectations.

Now Irish specialists aren’t a gamble. They’re a commodity.

Watch this documentary which follows the Leaders across America as they visited Irish athletes playing their first-ever college football games at universities across the U.S.