2022 walk-on kicker Zac Yoakam details Notre Dame commitment: ‘This is my new home’
New Notre Dame special teams coordinator Brian Mason made it priority to enhance his position group this offseason by adding transfers and walk-ons. He did just that by earning a commitment from walk-on kicker Zac Yoakam.
Yoakam is currently a senior at Upper Arlington (Ohio) High outside of Columbus, and he was previously committed to Dartmouth. In late January, Yoakam received a call from Mason that would change his plans.
“I was committed (to Dartmouth) at the time, so I really didn’t know what to think of (getting the call from Notre Dame),” Yoakam said. “I’m more methodical with my decision making, so I didn’t really have a lot of emotion in the moment. But after I committed (to Notre Dame), I was thinking ‘This is the place. This is my new home, and I need to be here.'”
The senior said Mason reached out to his kicking coach, Drew Basil, first, who is an Ohio State alum and played with Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman. From there, Mason eventually contacted Yoakam and convinced him to flip his decision.
The 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior had a standout season in 2021, helping lead Upper Arlington to a 14-1 record, including a 10-0 regular season. Their year ended when they lost a state semifinal game in November.
Individually, Yoakam posted some impressive stats. He made 100 percent of his 43 extra point attempts and went 6 of 7 on field goals.
In total, he amassed 98 points for Upper Arlington during his career as a three-year starter. As a result of his 2021 performance, he was named second-team Ohio Capital Conference and all district at the end of last season.
Yoakam considered Notre Dame for several reasons; the football program’s recent success was only a piece of the puzzle.
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“Academics played a big role,” Yoakam said. “Notre Dame’s one of the top schools in the country. All of the schools I was looking at were either in the top 25 as a school in general or had a top-10 business school.
“Also, my family is not Catholic, but my brother and my sister both go to Catholic schools, so I’ve had an interest in going to a Catholic school. Faith is a big part.”
Yoakam will enter a special teams room with numerous new faces
Not only is Mason a new coach at Notre Dame, but there will be multiple new players in the special teams room with Yoakam, including presumable starting kicker Blake Grupe. The former Arkansas State kicker will be playing his sixth year of college football, but like Yoakam, it will be his first season at the Power Five level.
Sophomore kicker Chris Salerno is a walk-on as well, and the three will compete for a starting job this fall. Regardless of the outcome, Yoakam said he is ready for anything that comes his way, and he will do anything to help the team grab victories.
“Obviously, I want to win a national championship,” Yoakam said when asked about his goals for college. “That’s the most important thing: I want to win. I hate losing. It’s my least favorite thing to do in the entire world. I will do whatever it takes to win. If it involves me starting, that’s amazing. If not, I want to do whatever is best for the team. I’m ready for anything.”
