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SOUTH BEND — Jasper Scaife, freshman punter for Notre Dame football, has provided the early soundtrack of this fall training camp with his thunderous boots.
Just as impressive, however, is the supple silence the Australian’s strong hands have produced. So quiet are they when receiving the football from long snapper Joseph Vinci that Scaife, of all people, has emerged as the first-string holder on placement kicks.
“He is a stone-cold competitor,” said Marty Biagi, Notre Dame’s special teams coordinator and a former kicking specialist himself. “Even when recruiting him, it was like, ‘Hey, if I come here, it's all business. I have intention.’“
Scaife, who turns 22 in late September, also shows the sort of advanced attention to detail that kicking coaches love. While playing as a so-called key forward in the Australian and Victorian football leagues back home, the West Perth product handled more than his share of bad hops and wind-blown Sherrins.
“When I was recruiting him, I was watching some of his AFL film, and you can see the intent and the focus,” Biagi said. “He is an extremely hard worker, but you can tell he has spent a lot of time or been trained up on the mental aspect of performance.”
A rising star back home in his national sport, Scaife shouldn’t blink when he steps into 81,000-seat Lambeau Field next month.
“Not to go too in-depth, but sometimes he would be the person to be in for a penalty kick, where he'd have to perform with everybody watching,” Biagi said. “It comes natural to him that ‘all eyes are on me’ for this play. He probably won't get as many cheers when he does what he's supposed to as opposed to when he puts it through the pipes in his sport.”
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Scaife’s ability to repeat precise movements makes him a scratch golfer as well. He’s already carded an ace at No. 4 on Warren Golf Course, and his length off the tee is downright depressing for those in his group.
“He hits the ball a long way, I'll say that,” said Irish kicker Spencer Porath, the Purdue transfer. “It's not fun to play with him because then you're always hitting from 100 yards behind him. He's very good. I've seen him go three-, four-under (par) before.”
Easier on Porath’s psyche is the fact Scaife rarely suffers any bogeys as a holder. Notre Dame’s 2025 season trajectory was altered by Tyler Buchner’s bobbled point-after snap in the final minutes against Texas A&M, so the stakes, even in that robotic task, are obvious.
“(Scaife) was a professional AFL player,” Porath said of the 6-foot-6, 222-pounder. “He's very used to it. This is no change to him. Obviously it's a different sport, but it's not like he's all flustered by, ‘OK, well, that was something different.’“
Scaife handled every snap for Porath with aplomb back in April at the Blue-Gold Game. That included the game-winner on the final play with teammates and coaches alike crowded around the specialists on the field, hooting and hollering for added pressure.
“He's used to playing a professional sport,” Porath said. “I think it translates pretty well for him. Obviously, he's learning (American football) and he's not doing as much running and all that stuff, but for the most part it's the same.””
Scaife and fiancée Chloe Pibworth, who moved here with him from Australia, recently announced they are expecting their first child in March.
The future father’s nimble mitts will come in handy with that precious cargo as well.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football will lean on an Australian rookie as its holder
Continue reading...
Just as impressive, however, is the supple silence the Australian’s strong hands have produced. So quiet are they when receiving the football from long snapper Joseph Vinci that Scaife, of all people, has emerged as the first-string holder on placement kicks.
“He is a stone-cold competitor,” said Marty Biagi, Notre Dame’s special teams coordinator and a former kicking specialist himself. “Even when recruiting him, it was like, ‘Hey, if I come here, it's all business. I have intention.’“
Scaife, who turns 22 in late September, also shows the sort of advanced attention to detail that kicking coaches love. While playing as a so-called key forward in the Australian and Victorian football leagues back home, the West Perth product handled more than his share of bad hops and wind-blown Sherrins.
“When I was recruiting him, I was watching some of his AFL film, and you can see the intent and the focus,” Biagi said. “He is an extremely hard worker, but you can tell he has spent a lot of time or been trained up on the mental aspect of performance.”
A rising star back home in his national sport, Scaife shouldn’t blink when he steps into 81,000-seat Lambeau Field next month.
“Not to go too in-depth, but sometimes he would be the person to be in for a penalty kick, where he'd have to perform with everybody watching,” Biagi said. “It comes natural to him that ‘all eyes are on me’ for this play. He probably won't get as many cheers when he does what he's supposed to as opposed to when he puts it through the pipes in his sport.”
No more Tae Tae: Notre Dame football standout Brauntae Johnson on name 'change'
Australian punter is long off the tee as well
Scaife’s ability to repeat precise movements makes him a scratch golfer as well. He’s already carded an ace at No. 4 on Warren Golf Course, and his length off the tee is downright depressing for those in his group.
“He hits the ball a long way, I'll say that,” said Irish kicker Spencer Porath, the Purdue transfer. “It's not fun to play with him because then you're always hitting from 100 yards behind him. He's very good. I've seen him go three-, four-under (par) before.”
Easier on Porath’s psyche is the fact Scaife rarely suffers any bogeys as a holder. Notre Dame’s 2025 season trajectory was altered by Tyler Buchner’s bobbled point-after snap in the final minutes against Texas A&M, so the stakes, even in that robotic task, are obvious.
“(Scaife) was a professional AFL player,” Porath said of the 6-foot-6, 222-pounder. “He's very used to it. This is no change to him. Obviously it's a different sport, but it's not like he's all flustered by, ‘OK, well, that was something different.’“
Scaife handled every snap for Porath with aplomb back in April at the Blue-Gold Game. That included the game-winner on the final play with teammates and coaches alike crowded around the specialists on the field, hooting and hollering for added pressure.
“He's used to playing a professional sport,” Porath said. “I think it translates pretty well for him. Obviously, he's learning (American football) and he's not doing as much running and all that stuff, but for the most part it's the same.””
Scaife and fiancée Chloe Pibworth, who moved here with him from Australia, recently announced they are expecting their first child in March.
The future father’s nimble mitts will come in handy with that precious cargo as well.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football will lean on an Australian rookie as its holder
Continue reading...
