Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is only 59 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
With 59 days remaining until kickoff, we look back at former Notre Dame kicker Justin Yoon’s school-record 59 career field goals.
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In 2015, Notre Dame turned to a freshman to replace Kyle Brindza, its all-time leader in field goals and scoring.
That freshman became a four-year starter who left school in sole or shared possession of at least 10 program records, passing Brindza for a few in the process. Yoon made 80.8 percent of his field goal attempts, the highest mark in team history. He went 55-for-55 on extra points in 2017, the most attempts and makes in a single-season by an Irish kicker. His 196 extra-point attempts and 190 makes are also school records.
Yoon ended his career with 367 points and 59 field goals. His first career kick was an extra point on a first-quarter touchdown in the 2015 opener, a 38-3 win over Texas. His first field goal was a 38-yarder in that same game. His final one was a 28-yarder in a 30-3 loss to Clemson in the 2018 College Football Playoff.
From start to finish, he was routinely a clutch performer and steady leg.
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Yoon made a 52-yard field goal as a freshman, which stood as a career long and his only success on three career 50-plus yard tries. He made 88.2 percent (15-of-17) of his field goal attempts in 2015, which ranked sixth nationally and first among freshmen. He helped seal a 41-31 win over USC with a 32-yard field goal with 5:39 left.
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As a junior, Yoon went 14-of-18 and hit all 11 of his attempts inside 44 yards. He was 4-for-4 in a 20-19 loss to then-No. 15 Georgia, supplying most of the Irish’s offense. He hit 46 and 49-yard field goals in a 21-17 win over LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
Yoon opened his senior year with a 48-yard field goal in a win over Michigan. It came in the third quarter and pushed the Irish’s lead to two touchdowns in an eventual 24-17 victory. He made a career-best 17 field goals that season and passed Brindza’s career mark with a 46-yarder in the regular season finale vs. USC. He became Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer earlier that year in a win at Virginia Tech.
All told, the No. 1-ranked kicker in his class by multiple outlets lived up to his billing.
If anyone breaks Yoon’s field goal record, it will likely be a four-year starter. Those don’t come around often. Not even at kicker, where Notre Dame has not been afraid to play freshman. Sophomore kicker Joshua Bryan has four years of eligibility left, but he’s competing with grad transfer Blake Grupe for the job and is no lock to start this year. Grupe winning the job would help Yoon’s record stand for a little while.
