Ex-under 20 footballer from Derry, Jude McAtamney, may soon play his first match in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. McAtamney, who procured victory in the Ulster under-20 games in 2018, is likely to be promoted to the primary kicker role for the Giants, as Graham Gano, the incumbent player in this role, incurred a hamstring injury during the early phase of the recent loss against the Washington Commanders.
For the match in question, when McAtamney was not part of the playing squad, the Giants deferred to Jamie Gillan, their punter, to temporarily fill the kicker role. Gano’s expected absence for the coming weeks now presents an opportunity for the untested McAtamney or a free agent. Conversations from America suggest the Giants have taken into account the potential of four distinct kickers: Zane Gonzalez, Riley Patterson, Tanner Brown, and Randy Bullock.
The Giants’ coach, Brian Daboll, while addressing the New York press on Monday, didn’t explicitly reveal his plans for the forthcoming match against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He announced plans to evaluate multiple players, giving special mention to McAtamney, despite the youngster not having been drafted from last Sunday’s practice squad, although there were worries around Gano’s injury status for the game against the Commanders.
McAtamney’s path to the NFL stands in contrast to that of Dan Whelan (who played for Green Bay Packers) and Charlie Smyth (associated with New Orleans Saints). The Swatragh native reached out to David Shanahan of Georgia Tech to help him connect with Prokick, an Australian outfit specialising in training mostly Aussie Rules players to be NFL kickers and punters, which awarded him a scholarship to Chowan University in North Carolina in 2021.
Following a season in Carolina, McAtamney moved on to Rutgers University in New Jersey where he played for two seasons before making a mark at a pro day where NFL scouts, including those from the Giants, were present. In April, McAtamney was recruited by the Giants via the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme.