Who is James Rendell? All we know about Notre Dame’s Australian punter who is making headlines at fall camp

James Rendell is making headlines at the Notre Dame football fall camp. The former Australian rule football player from Melbourne took a trip that took more than a day to reach South Bend for practice. He is now focused on performing as a punter for the Fighting Irish in the upcoming college football season.

Notre Dame needed a new punter after Bryce McFerson left the program to enter the transfer portal. So the special teams coordinator Marty Baigi found Rendell as the perfect candidate for the job from almost 10,000 miles away.

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James Rendell's father is a well-known name in Australian rules football

James Rendell is a 24-year-old athlete who spent his childhood in Adelaide and Melbourne in Australia. His father Matt Randell is a well-known name in the world of Australian rules football. James also dabbled with his dad's sport while working on his punting skills with ProKick Australia.

Before deciding to come to Notre Dame, Rendell was committed to Hawaii for the same role. He stands at 6 feet and 6 inches and weighs 225 pounds. According to the Star Adviser, Rendell’s kick has an astonishing hang time of 5.1 seconds. That makes him one of the top-tier punters playing in the country.

Though James Rendell is already 24, he might still be able to play for Notre Dame for multiple seasons. He is expected to get a three-year eligibility from the NCAA. So the punter might not be a one-season stopgap afterall.

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James Rendell and his love for AC/DC

Apart from his newfound love for football, James Rendell has many other hobbies. One of them is listening to his favorite rock band AC/DC. After all, he comes from Melbourne, the home of the rock band from the mid-70s. And the Notre Dame punter revealed that he leaves no chance to tell everyone that the world-famous band comes from Australia.

“I don’t think a lot of people here know AC/DC are Australian, so I’m trying to claim them every time an AC/DC song comes on,” he told the South Bend Tribune.

Rendell isn't the only one in the family to be an AC/DC fan. According to him, they were his dad Matt Rendell's favorite too. So while he gave up his dad's sport for the American Dream, the rock legacy is still being carried on like before.