Australian player James Rendell is committed to Notre Dame football

Australian player James Rendell has committed to Notre Dame football, multiple sources told Blue & Gold's Mike Singer. He is a college graduate and will be a scholarship recipient in the class of 2024.

According to a source, Rendell, 23, is eligible for up to three years. He is a 1.90 meter tall and 110 kilogram semi-professional player in Australian Rules Football who had already decided on Hawaii at the beginning of April. His nickname according to a reporter from Star Advertiser Hawai'i Stephen Tsaiis “Thor”.

Play for Frankston Football Club in Frankston, Victoria, Australia, Rendell took part in nine games in his first season before it ended prematurely due to injury.

“The 21-year-old played primarily as a second ruckman/forward last season as he grew into his frame, but played the lead ruckman role twice, scoring over 30 hitouts on both occasions,” the Frankston website reads.

Rendell is the son of the legendary Australian rules footballer Matt Rendell, who unfortunately passed away in June 2023 at the age of 64. Matt Rendell scored 147 goals in 256 games for West Torrens, Fitzroy and the Brisbane Bears from 1977 to 1992. James Rendell played his father's role as a ruckman.

Notre Dame needed a player after Junior Bryce McFerson entered the transfer portal, leaving only the 30-year-old graduate behind Eric Goins and walkable senior Chris Salerno as the only bettor in the squad. McFerson committed to Maryland on Wednesday night.

Irish head coach Marcus Freeman confirmed after the Blue-Gold game on April 20 that the Irish planned to bring in a punter to replace McFerson.

On Monday, Mike Singer of the Blue & Gold reported that he is the Notre Dame special teams coordinator Marty Biagi traveled to Australia to inquire about the prospects for punting. He found one and secured a commitment two days later.

Biagi recruited and coached two Australian players at his previous positions: Jack Ansell with Purdue and Fraser Masin with Ole Miss. Ansell averaged 38.3 yards per punt on 44 punts under Biagi in 2021, while Masin averaged 42.1 yards per punt in 2022.

Both retained their starting positions after Biagi left, and Masin is expected to remain Ole Miss' top prospect in 2024.

Aussie Rules players have dominated college punting in recent years, based out of Texas Michael Dixon and Utah Mitch Wishnowky to newer Iowas Tory Taylor. The Chicago Bears selected Taylor in the fourth round (No. 122 overall) in last weekend's NFL Draft.

With Rendell's addition, Notre Dame has 88 scholarship players, and that number will need to be reduced to 85 by the start of fall camp. With the transfer portal window closed for both graduate and undergraduate players, three members of the Irish will have to either resign to walk-on status or leave football altogether, at least until the next transfer portal window opens in late November.