Notre Dame’s search for stability at kicker has landed on a transfer with a clean, compact swing and a track record that points up.
Spencer Porath arrives from Purdue after two seasons that were mostly productive, and the Irish are betting that his simple approach translates just as well in South Bend. At 6-foot-0 and 185 pounds, the Brownsburg, Ind., native doesn’t rely on a big, violent motion.
His operation is straightforward: short left-foot step, quick right-foot stride, plant, strike. The result is a kicking motion built on pace and control.
That formula worked especially well in 2025. Porath made 15 of 17 field-goal attempts for Purdue as a sophomore, and three of those makes came against Notre Dame in the Boilermakers’ 56-30 loss: 48 yards, 26 yards and 35 yards, all in the second quarter.
He also turned in a strong slate against top competition, knocking through a 53-yarder at Washington, a 50-yarder at Michigan, a 48-yarder at Notre Dame, a 40-yarder at home against Ohio State and a 39-yarder at home against USC. His only misses were a 54-yard attempt against Indiana as the first half expired and a 47-yarder at Minnesota.
His path to Purdue started with a strong senior season at Brownsburg High School, where he hit all seven of his field-goal attempts. Duke and Louisville recruited him, while Purdue, Air Force and Army extended offers. He chose the Boilermakers and beat out Ben Freehill for the job in 2024.
The early college returns were uneven. Porath connected on 7 of 11 field goals as a freshman, but he also had misses from 21 and 38 yards against Ohio State, 36 yards against Oregon and 39 yards against Nebraska. His longest make that season was a 45-yarder against Nebraska.
Notre Dame’s interest came after a rough stretch of kicker inconsistency in 2025 with Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede. The move to bring in Porath also caused a stir in West Lafayette, since he never actually entered the transfer portal.
“I decided I wanted to pursue and apply as a student here, and so that's kind of how things happened," explained Porath in the spring. "I just had to basically fill out an application to be a student.
From there, the coaches got in contact after I was admitted." (Also see Quotes of Note below).
Porath was not Purdue’s kickoff specialist; those duties belonged to Seth Turner in 2025. At Notre Dame this fall, Schmidt will handle kickoffs and punting behind projected starter Jasper Scaife, while no longer competing for placekicks.
What Notre Dame gets in Porath is a kicker whose ball flight tends to stay honest. He doesn’t appear to hook or slice much, and when he strikes it cleanly, the ball usually holds its line. That showed up in the spring, including an indoor scrimmage inside the Irish Athletics Center where he made at least double-digit kicks.
He also finished the spring on a high note in the April 25 Blue-Gold Game, hitting all three extra points and then drilling a 43-yard field goal as time expired to give the Blue offense a 41-40 win over the Gold defense.
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