Notre Dame football adds US Army veteran as walk-on kicker

Alongside South Carolina transfer Mitch Jeter, Notre Dame added one more kicker to its 2024-25 roster. Eric Goins, who kicked at The Citadel from 2012-15 before a seven-year stint as an active-duty officer in the United States Army, joined the Irish as a walk-on.

A Notre Dame spokesperson confirmed Goins’ addition to Blue & Gold on Monday.

According to Goins’ player profile on FightingIrish.com, he started in the U.S. Army as an airborne infantry officer and second lieutenant, later working his way up to first lieutenant. After four years, Goins became a captain. He served as an executive officer to a combat advisor training unit.

Goins, a 2012 graduate of Herndon (Va.) Oakton, is in a two-year Master of Business Administration program with a projected graduation year of 2025. He’s a member of Notre Dame’s MBA Military Veterans Club, and in his member profile, he explained why he chose to attend graduate school in South Bend.