Transfer Portal: North Carolina kicker Noah Burnette picks Notre Dame
For a fourth year in a row, Notre Dame is going to the transfer portal for a kicker. Former North Carolina place kicker Noah Burnette is playing a sixth year of college football, and he’ll do it in South Bend.
Burnette, who has made 49 career field goals (fourth most in school history) with a 79 percent success rate in 37 career games, will enroll at Notre Dame for the spring semester and is expected to handle the kicking duties for the 2025 season.
The Raleigh, N.C. product’s best season was 2023 when he made 19 of 20 attempts and had a long of 48.
He redshirted in 2020 and did not record any statistics for the Tar Heels in 2021. He’s been North Carolina’s kicker for the past three seasons, though, and he’s made over 70 percent of his field goals each season.
In 2022, he made 15 of 21 attempts with a long of 47. He had the same make and attempt numbers in 2024 but with a long of 52. He’s only had two kicks blocked in his career.
On kickoffs, 28 of his 63 career attempts went for touchbacks. He was not the Tar Heels’ primary kickoff man the past two seasons, only attempting six kickoffs.
Burnette was named to the Second-Team All-ACC, AP Second-Team All ACC and All-ACC Academic teams in 2023.
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Notre Dame has another scholarship kicker, having flipped Milwaukee (Wis.) Marquette University’s Erik Schmidt from Wisconsin and signing him in December. The class of 2025 recruit will likely handle kicking duties at Notre Dame, but at least from a field goal perspective, he’s not expected to do so as a true freshman.
Burnette announced Dec. 12 that he was entering the transfer portal.
“My time at Carolina has been nothing but a blessing. This season did not end how I wanted, but I can truly say I gave my all to this university,” Burnette said in a tweet. “The memories made during my time here will be unforgettable, and I am so grateful to have been a Tar Heel.”
After Jonathan Doerer was Notre Dame’s kicker for three straight seasons from 2019-21, the Irish started going for one-year rentals. In 2022, Blake Grupe transferred from Arkansas State and is the New Orleans Saints’ current kicker. In 2023, Spencer Shrader, a former USF kicker, handled kicking duties for the Irish. He’s on the Kansas City Chiefs roster, although he’s currently on injured reserved. He kicked a game-winning field goal to give the Chiefs a win in November.
Ex-South Carolina kicker Mitch Jeter made it three years in a row for Notre Dame in the portal for a kicker. Jeter kicked the game-winning field goal to send Notre Dame to the national championship game.
The Irish are now up to six transfer portal additions for the 2025 season. Burnette joins tight end Ty Washington (Arkansas), Louisville defensive lineman Jared Dawson, wide receivers Malachi Fields (Virginia) and Will Pauling (Wisconsin) and nickel Devonta Smith (Alabama).
