Aer Lingus Classic College Football Diaries: Andy Quinn, Boston College Eagles

Introducing the "Aer Lingus Classic - College Football Diaries", an exclusive series offering a unique behind-the-scenes look at College Football. First up is Andy Quinn from Galway as he starts his College Football journey with the Boston College Eagles. Andy famously won the 2022 Aer Lingus College Football Classic ‘Kicking King’ competition and is now preparing for his first Division 1 College Football season.

Hi, my name is Andy Quinn. I am a kicker and punter going into my first season for the Boston College Eagles. I didn't grow up playing or watching American football like most typical kids here in America - I grew up in Galway, Ireland, playing a mixture of rugby, Gaelic football, soccer, and athletics.  

My journey to signing with the Eagles is different to most on my team to say the least! I had kicked lots of balls in my life, in fact I had spent hours and hours kicking, mostly rugby balls, in the lockdown of 2021.  However never in all my practicing did kicking an American football cross my mind.

Spring 2022 was my Transition Year in school, my dad's friend was doing some filming with Tadhg Leader in our local Creggs Rugby Football Club and asked if I would come along to lend a hand – collecting balls and the likes. Tadhg a former Connacht rugby player had played American football in Canada and was kicker and punter for the Irish Wolfhounds. We spent an enjoyable afternoon, at the end of the session Tadhg offered me the chance to try a field goal and to his great surprise, I wasn't half bad.  My first ever attempt to kick an American football! Later in the summer I saw a Facebook advertisement for the 'Ireland's Kicking King Competition', the first round was in Dangan Park, Galway overlooking the Corrib and I duly made it through to the final in the Aviva Stadium at half time of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

As my time at the NFL Academy was coming to end and I wasn't ready to leave the sport, in May of 24, I decided to test my skill and travelled to Philadelphia with my cousin Paul to participate in the Khols Kicking competition. It turned out that I could compete with the best in the US and ultimately I won a spot in their national competition. The next step was the national final, it took place in the Rocky Top complex in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, Tennessee. I performed very well in this competition too and finished ranked as a 5-star prospect, coming 4th in the US for punting and 12th for kicking. This once again confirmed that I had the skill and ability to compete with the best in the U.S.! With that confirmation, I started to see a realistic future of playing college football in the U.S. and the interest was mutual. 

Being placed so high on the Kohls rankings opened up a floodgate of interest in my ability from Universities across America. The first being from the specialist coach with the Georgia Bulldogs, I was really apprehensive about our initial call, but quickly realised that I knew my craft and that the meeting was actually very comfortable. I also had meetings with Alabama, Florida, Texas Tech and Iowa. 

My first college visit was to Boston College. I had been to Boston once before on a family holiday as a one-year-old, not in my wildest dreams could I imagine what my return trip would be. The facilities, weight room, locker room and stadium were top class. The campus is really beautiful, on an elevated site with English collegiate gothic style buildings, I felt an instant connection. I learned later from family that my great grandmother had worked in Chesnut Hill in the 1920’s and attended mass daily with the Jesuit priests at Boston College!  

I also visited Temple University, Philadelphia and the University of Tennessee, both good universities with good football programs. My heart and mind though was always for Boston, being Irish I felt I was coming home. 

On September 12th another life changing call came in this time from Bill O'Brien, Head Coach of Boston College Eagles offering me a full scholarship to study and compete at the highest level in collegiate sport. My mum captured the moment on video; there was no screaming or crying but inside I was bursting with pride, the pivots I had made, early morning training, studying alone had all paid off, and it felt amazing! As the oldest of four brothers, I would never be allowed to get too big for my boots! One brother said “ of course you got the offer, why else would you practice so much”. My brothers miss having their big brother at home now but are hoping to visit me really soon and see America for the first time themselves!

Accepting a college offer is steeped in ritual and tradition. The first step is to get your college offers, after consideration and deliberation you announce what College football program you have chosen to join, this is known as ‘Commitment’.  

This is usually done at your High School or in my case I committed to Boston College surrounded by my former teammates from the NFL Academy. It was in Munich, the day before the NFL game between the New York Giants v Carolina Panthers. My alumni had just beaten the IMG Academy which was a really competitive battle. Head Coach Hagan introduced my announcement and I was really privileged to have Head of the NFL Academy Lamont Winston,  Head of Football at NFLA Kris Durham, as well as coaches and teammates all present for such a momentous occasion.  

A few weeks after ‘Commitment’ was ‘Signing Day’, where recruits sign their National Letter of Intent to the football program they'll be spending the foreseeable future at. Signing Day was December 3rd, for me! I took an early morning flight from Knock Airport to London and visited the NFL UK Headquarters, an 8th floor office overlooking the city of London, directly above Leicester Square. Fellow signees from the NFLA all gathered, we hadn’t seen each other in a few months, each pursuing their own dream, so there were a lot of congratulatory hugs and high 5’s with all receiving D1 scholarship to American Universities. Refreshments were served as we were briefed on the day's events mainly covering media promotion. To start, I was ushered into a boardroom where a schedule of interviews were to follow. To my pleasant surprise and relief, first up to interview me was friend and Pro Football Ireland's Mick McQuaid, followed shortly by interviewers with BBC, Sky Sport and the Irish Independent. 

Now not to name drop, but I will! Outside the boardroom glass I could see none other than Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora going about their business! After the initial interviews there was some fun footage recorded and a photoshoot of me in my Academy gear and then in Boston College gear. A very different experience for me but part of the process you come to expect from life as a college footballer. That evening myself and a former teammate travelled to Loughborough, home of the NFLA in the centre of England where the next morning we would gather to sign for our respective University in the USA. 

Later in December, I was invited by Boston College to join the team in preparation training for the ‘Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl’ game being played at Yankee Stadium NYC, what an experience, certainly a different Christmas to any I had in my previous 19 years. On Christmas Eve, a fleet of 10 buses left Alumni Stadium with the team, coaches, and family under police escort to South Station, Boston, where we boarded a private train directly to Penn Station, NYC. Our team hotel was in Times Square, the backdrop to many of my favorite Christmas movies! It all felt surreal –certainly different to my usual Christmas Eve in Creggs with grandparents to visit, last-minute Christmas shopping with Lorna in Time Pieces, Roscommon and family Kris Kindle.  

While all this excitement was going on in my head, the team clearly focused on the Bowl game. We trained as we would in BC, except this time, it was at the facilities at Columbia University. The routine was maintained.  

December 28th was a cold, wet day in Yankee Stadium. The build-up was intense, with marching bands, cheerleaders, and supporters making their presence felt. I did manage to wave to my own few supporters and good family friends, the Clerkins, who were in NYC for Christmas and attended their first-ever American football game!  

The final College game of our season did not go BC's way. We were defeated by the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a tight-fought battle. The Cornhuskers were one of the two teams that had played in the Aer Lingus College Classic back in 2022. That was the day I won the halftime kicking competition, and my life changed forever. What an amazing two years.

Until next time,

Andy

The Aerlingus College Football Classic is back on the 23rd of August at the Aviva Stadium for another thrilling American Football Experience! Kansas State University will play Iowa State University in the first ever Big 12 Conference game and the 10th ever College Football game held on the Emerald Isle.

Secure your seat today HERE 

#MuchMoreThanAGame | #TouchdownDublin | #TouchdownIreland