Notre Dame’s kicking nightmare has been the talk of South Bend all season. After three different kickers missed attempts in the 25-10 win over Boston College, Marcus Freeman knew something had to change. The optics were brutal. Cameras caught HC and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock ripping into junior Marcello Diomede after his missed extra point in the third quarter. This became the latest in a series of special teams meltdowns.

Noah Burnette had opened the night’s misery by clanking an extra point off the upright. Then, freshman Erik Schmidt sent a makeable 35-yard field goal sailing wide right before halftime. Diomede joined the disaster reel by missing his own extra-point try. By the time the final whistle blew, Notre Dame had left five points on the field against an overmatched Boston College team. It raised serious questions about whether the Irish could trust their kicking game in a playoff scenario.

Marcus Freeman made his choice official earlier this week. He named Erik Schmidt the full-time kicker over Diomede against Navy. It proved to be a correct decision. Now, Irish Sports Daily tweeted that “Marcus Freeman believes Erik Schmidt showed the kicking game has life. Got positive results.” Schmidt responded by going a perfect 7-for-7 on extra points in Notre Dame’s 49-10 demolition of Navy. It marked the first time since the NC State game that the Irish had gone 100% on PATs. The crowd at Notre Dame Stadium exhaled a little more after each successful kick.

Freeman later said that “desperation” had helped his staff and players focus on improving the kicking game.​

Schmidt’s promotion wasn’t a desperate gamble. The freshman was ranked as the No. 1 kicker in America by the 247 Sports Composite for the Class of 2025. He was a five-star specialist whom Notre Dame beat out Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia to land. Through seven games, Schmidt had been solid on extra points (12 of 13) but was still searching for his first career field goal after two misses. 

What Freeman saw in practice, though, was a freshman with elite technique and the mental makeup to handle pressure once he got past the early jitters. Against the Navy, Schmidt didn’t attempt a field goal. But his eight deep kickoffs into no-return territory showed he could be the answer Notre Dame desperately needs. 

The Irish are now 7-2 and ranked No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Their kicking woes have been a dark cloud hanging over an otherwise impressive season. The real test comes this week at No. 23 Pittsburgh, where Notre Dame will face a ranked opponent in a hostile environment.

They may actually need Schmidt to hit a pressure field goal. If he delivers, the kicking crisis becomes a footnote in Notre Dame’s playoff push. If he doesn’t, Freeman will be right back where he started, rotating three kickers and hoping one of them figures it out before the season slips away.

Freeman’s urgent message pays off

Marcus Freeman wasn’t taking any chances heading into the Navy matchup, especially with memories of Notre Dame’s embarrassing 42-32 loss to them back in 2017. The HC had a front-row seat to Navy’s triple-option chaos during his days as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator. Before kickoff, Freeman issued an urgent locker room message that Irish Illustrated later shared.

“On defense, we’ve got to play right on their line of scrimmage up front. We’ve got to be more aggressive,” Freeman told his team. He emphasized the need to disrupt Navy’s timing before the option could develop. He specifically warned about quarterback Blake Horvath, who was leading the nation’s quarterbacks in rushing with 115.8 yards per game and powering an offense that ranked 20th nationally with 453.4 yards per contest.

“If you don’t, they’ll kill you,” Freeman cautioned, making it clear that passive play would get them embarrassed. The 10th-ranked Irish took the message to heart, and it showed from the opening drive.​ “I’m obviously proud of the way our guys battled,” Freeman said afterward. “It’s always a great challenge when you get ready to play Navy just because of the uniqueness of their schemes on both sides of the ball. It is difficult to prepare for because it’s not something you see every week and it’s a good team.”

The victory marked Notre Dame’s seventh straight win overall and its ninth consecutive victory over Navy, with the last three coming by a combined score of 142-27.​