Texas Christian University (TCU) and the University of North Carolina…
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) will open the 2027 season against…
The thrill and excitement of high school American football will return to Ireland.
Truly experience the wonders that the Emerald Isle has to offer.
The ultimate Gameday experience.
Official tickets of the College Football Classic.
Voted in the top 10 friendliest cities in the world, and once you visit, you will understand why!
The land of myths and legends and the birthplace of Irish culture where vibrant history and modern life meet.
Experience Ireland's Hidden Heartlands and tap into the relaxed rhythm that defines this beautifully unspoiled part of Ireland where life moves at its own pace.
Experience what's been named "one of the greatest drives on earth", or explore the Giants causeway at the tip of County Antrim.
Stretching 2,500km along our western seaboard, the Wild Atlantic Way is the longest coastal touring route in the world.
September 24th 2024
Irish kicker Andy Quinn has had quite the American Football journey, kicking in front of 43,000 fans at the age of 17, and now he’s looking to take his talents to the U.S. College Football scene.
Andy Quinn’s introduction to American Football was unorthodox; it’s far from your typical sports story. For Andy, rugby was his first love, where he enjoyed playing spells with his school, Blackrock College, Connacht Rugby and Creggs Rugby Club.
American Football wasn’t really on Quinn’s radar until he was asked to act as a cameraman for former professional rugby player Peter Bracken, who was being shown the intricacies of kicking an American Football by Tadhg Leader, founder of Leader Kicking. At the end of the session, Andy was eager to test his kicking skills.
“The very first time I was kicking, it was from 45 yards, and then Tadhg announced he was doing the Ireland’s Kicking King competition and I said ‘I may as well go down’ ”, Quinn said.
“Tadhg [Leader] went across Ireland to find Ireland's Kicking King. There were 180 participants, whittled down to 3”, Quinn said. “I came second in the event in Galway, and then I went to the Aviva Stadium and competed on the morning of the 2022 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. I went 7-7, and next up was kicking at the Aviva."
Game Day
The pinnacle of Ireland’s Kicking King unfolded during halftime of the 2022 Aer Lingus College Football Classic, where Andy would compete against two other athletes with the goal of being crowned Ireland’s Kicking King.
The stadium was a sea of purple and red as the 2022 edition of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic featured the Northwestern Wildcats and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Andy’s family recognised the scale of this opportunity and drove up from Roscommon to see the teenager compete at the Aviva Stadium. “It’s definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. All Irish athletes want to compete there,” Quinn said.
The occasion didn’t phase Andy as he was magnificent on the day with a 100% kicking record, knocking off the other athletes to be crowned Ireland’s Kicking King.
“Five minutes after I won the competition at the Aviva Stadium, Tadhg told me that it was a possibility to get a scholarship with the tape that I had now kicked in front of 43,000 fans. In January 2023, the NFL Academy were looking for a punter and a kicker, and I fit the bill,” Quinn said.
The Butterfly Effect
The Irishman joined the NFL Academy, an initiative which aims to merge full-time education with transformative life skills and character development alongside intensive training in American Football.
“If I didn’t enter the competition for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, I’d probably be playing rugby at an ok standard and sitting in a classroom studying for my Leaving Cert. Now, I'm in an unbelievably elite environment, still studying for my Leaving Cert but travelling across Europe,” Quinn said. "None of that would’ve happened if the Aer Lingus College Football Classic didn’t happen; it really did change my life."
“One thing that is driving me is that nobody has ever done this before. Nobody has ever been an external student for the Leaving Cert in the NFL Academy, so we had to adapt my schedule a lot,” Quinn added.
After completing his Leaving Cert, Andy piqued the interest of numerous top U.S. colleges with his tour of America, putting his raw athletic ability on display for some of the top coaches in the country. Quinn was ranked as a five-star recruit by Kohl's Kicking Academy, along with ranking as the 4th best punter in the U.S. and 12th-best kicker in the U.S.
College Football is Calling
This month, Boston College Head Coach Bill O’Brien called Andy to offer him a full Division 1 Scholarship to kick for Boston College. It appears to be the first of many offers for Andy as the Irishman looks to take his kicking talents to the U.S.
“Playing in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic has 100% been on my mind. It would top off my story if I was able to get a scholarship to one of the teams that might be playing in the series in the future,” Quinn said.
“All the colleges that play in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic are at an extremely high level-they are the teams to be watching. It would round off my story extremely well if that opportunity even arose,” Quinn added.
Andy hopes that his story will encourage more Irish athletes to take up the sport; “Irish people are made for kicking, so why not give it a try? We play so many sports growing up. We’re made to do it", Quinn said.
The Irish Wolfhounds, Ireland's National American Football team, have invited Andy to play on their senior team, who will play Turkey in Istanbul on the 2nd of November. The occasion will mark Andy's 3rd senior cap, making him the youngest adult ever to play senior American football for Ireland.
***Update - Andy Quinn has officially signed for Boston College since this article has been released. - 2025 Signing Day Roster - Andy Quinn
