Notre Dame lands commitment from Australian punter James Rendell

Notre Dame is making an intriguing addition to its special teams unit. Australian punter James Rendell committed to the Fighting Irish Wednesday, Blue and Gold’s Mike Singer reported.

Rendell will likely replace Bryce McFerson, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month and committed to Maryland on Wednesday. He spent three years playing semi-pro football in Australia with the Frankston Football Club and is the son of late Australian rules football star Matt Rendell.

James Rendell appeared in nine games this past season for Frankston, but saw his year cut short due to injury. He will now make his way to South Bend to anchor a punt unit that ranked 17th in the nation in 2023.

McFerson appeared in 12 games for Notre Dame last season and punted 39 times as the offense went through an up-and-down campaign. He totaled 1,756 yards for an average of 45.03 punt yards per game, which helped Notre Dame rank No. 17 in the FBS.

After the Fighting Irish’s spring game, McFerson opted to enter the transfer portal and ultimately take his talents to College Park.

“I would like to thank (head) Coach (Marcus) Freeman, (special teams coordinator) Coach (Marty) Biagi and (special teams analyst) Coach (Jesse) Schmitt for the opportunity to play on the biggest stage in college football at an amazing institution like Notre Dame,” McFerson said in a statement on social media. “I’ve grown so much in my two years here, and I am very grateful for the relationships I’ve made along the way.

“That being said, I am entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility.”

Notre Dame is preparing to take on a new look on offense after coordinator Gerad Parker left to become the head coach at Troy. A familiar face is taking the reins in Mike Denbrock after he helped turn Jayden Daniels into a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft. His quarterback will likely be Riley Leonard, who’s currently working his way back from injury.

As for what Denbrock will bring to change the offense, BGI’s Tyler Horka said it’ll likely be more 11-personnel and less of the ground-and-pound style Notre Dame was known for even before Parker arrived.

“I think Gerad Parker was still so new to all of this that he just didn’t really have – you didn’t really know what a Gerad Parker offense was,” Horka told Andy Staples on Andy Staples On3. “He took so many elements from Tommy Rees, and really so many elements from what Notre Dame has been doing for decades. It was very much ground and pound. And you saw Audric Estime, who just got drafted this past weekend, run the ball 210 times and he didn’t even play in the bowl game. He was getting quite a few carries out there, and Notre Dame had a lot of other running backs. … And that’s what it’s been for a long time.”