Georgia Tech is playing a game an ocean away, however

• Harry Lyles Jr., ESPN Staff WriterAug 21, 2024, 07:30 AM ET

The Week 0 match in between Georgia Tech and Florida State at Aviva Arena in Dublin, Ireland, is a neutral site game for everyone on both groups– other than for Yellow Jackets punter David Shanahan.Shanahan is from Castleisland, County Kerry, Ireland, and is believed to be the very first Ireland native ever awarded a full scholarship to play American college football. On Aug. 24, he’ll have the chance to play in his home nation.

“I’m delighted for the kid to have an opportunity to go home,” Georgia Tech head coach Brent Secret said. “It’s amazing anytime any kid gets to return to their home, specifically when it’s far from here.”

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When he got to Georgia Tech, Shanahan– now a senior– believed there was a remote possibility that he ‘d be able to play a game in Ireland, but figured the odds would be slim given that Georgia Tech currently played in Ireland in 2016. However throughout spring ball in 2022, Shanahan remembered Secret calling him over during practice and asking him “puzzling” concerns about Ireland.

“Usually he’s over the O-line screaming at them somewhere. He’s not truly having a conversation midpractice,” he said. “I sort of figured it after a while since I knew the game was showing up and I understood they had not announced a fixture for 2024. However ultimately he informed me, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty ill.'”

Shanahan strolled a winding course to American college football. Maturing, rugby and Gaelic football were his main sports. He compared the passion that people in Ireland have for Gaelic football to the enthusiasm individuals have in the United States for American football.

“When you’re 15, you’re training really hard, you’re in the fitness center truly hard,” he stated. “I’m from Kerry, so every town in Kerry will have their own club, and then the best guys in their club will get to bet their county. So I was betting the county underage teams.”

Shanahan was a member of the Kerry U17 Gaelic football “panel” that won the 2017 Munster champion (Gaelic football’s nationwide title) at the U17 level. But as he approached adulthood, Shanahan’s enthusiasm for the game waned, and he began trying to find a brand-new challenge.

“There wasn’t a great deal of adventure there, I believed. Since I state, ‘Alright, best-case circumstance, I’ll just mature and play for Kerry and never truly leave my home town’ or whatever. That’s something that didn’t truly delight me that much.”

Rather, he got into Football. Enough of the mechanics he ‘d currently found out applied to the American game that Shanahan thought that he could make the jump. “Certainly the ability translated,” he said. “I attempted my hand at kicking for a bit, however it just didn’t actually come as naturally as punting did. But even stating that, punting was really tough, it took me a while to really get good, get constant at it.”

Shanahan understood there were actions he required to take in order to reach his full potential. That’s where he gives a lot of credit to his moms and dads, Jack and Eliza, for trusting him to take a leap of faith.

“I was 18 years old, and I resembled, ‘Hey guys, I want to move to Australia, the opposite of the world, go to this place in the suburban areas of Melbourne, punt footballs for a year to try and get a scholarship to America.'”

In the previous decade or so, Australia has actually become the unlikely home for a number of football’s finest punters. That’s mainly due to the fact that of Prokick Australia in Melbourne, an academy founded in 2007 by Nathan Chapman, an Australian guidelines footballer who played in 3 preseason games for the Green Bay Packers in 2004. Prokick has actually produced six of the past seven Ray Guy Award winners and four existing NFL punters. Shanahan felt that if he wished to get into high-level Football, he had to go across the world in a various instructions initially.

“I worked, I conserved up cash and stuff. However for [my moms and dads] to consent to that and fully support me is probably something that gets glossed over a little bit, just how much of a dedication that was from them– as much as me– to have their youngest child moving halfway across the world to some country they have actually never ever been previously, doing something they know nothing about.”

Shanahan worked on his family’s farm, at his dad’s pharmacy, took money he had previously conserved from previous birthdays, his First Communion and his confirmation, and used it all to relocate to Melbourne at the end of August in 2019. However he was ultimately forced to return to Ireland to quarantine since of the COVID-19 pandemic.Shanahan, his brother Rob and his moms and dads were together at their house for quarantine. They turned their shed into a gym, where the siblings would work out. Once they were carried out in the shed, David and Rob would stroll 20 minutes behind their house to their farm, kick for 2.5 hours and return home.” Truthfully, I had a great time throughout COVID,” he said.While he was refining his skills on the farm, the group at

Prokick was looking for a landing spot for Shanahan. He compared the procedure to the ordering of a pizza. “Coach rings them up, he tells them,’ We want a guy that can do this, this and this. ‘And after that they have a look at their group of guys and [see] which guy would fit here. So they come near you and say,’Hey, this school has an interest in finding someone. Would you be intrigued in going here if they provide you a scholarship? ‘And if you say yes, and they offer you a scholarship, that’s where you’re going. There’s no going back.”Shanahan stated they were speaking to a number of ACC schools, and then one Tuesday morning, he got up to a text from Prokick coach John Smith. “He resembles, ‘Hey we’re getting on a Zoom with Georgia Tech tomorrow. I’m sure you ‘d be interested in going here?’I was like,’Yeah, absolutely.'”Then they sent them all of my film, and after that I awakened to a text probably three or 4 days later on, and it resembles,’

You’re committed to Georgia Tech. ‘It took place pretty fast.” Shanahan revealed his dedication to Tech on May 15, 2020. He was expected to arrive in Atlanta in January of 2021, however due to the fact that of the added COVID year, he was informed there would not be any scholarships open until May.He wished to still continue to operate at his craft in the meantime, however he couldn’t return to Australia due to the fact that of COVID restrictions. Shanahan’s coaches

at Prokick suggested he go see Tom Hackett– a two-time Ray Guy Award winner and Prokick alum– in Utah to continue to grow. Shanahan made the journey to Utah, dealt with his game and eventually wound up in Atlanta. He played his very first American football game for the Yellow Jackets versus Northern Illinois on Sept. 4, 2021. It was an achievement just to make it onto the field, but Shanahan still had growing to do, specifically when it pertained to understanding the game and situational punting.”That was certainly a modification,

“he stated.” I can constantly relax and boot a football, but it’s probably more situational things, understanding like when the rush is coming, when you just got to get it off, when you’re backed

up in the end zone you got to reduce your actions, and the pooch punting.”Clearly, a lot of that situational things, I certainly was not good at it as a freshman, and I would just go out there and sort of swing my leg and expect the very best. But that’s something that’s come out of experience, and coaches have actually been truly proficient at helping me with all that. But I feel like I pretty much have everything down now. I’ve been doing it for enough time.”The changes on the field are important, and Key highlighted that’s not something for anyone to gloss over in Shanahan’s journey. However Key also praised Shanahan for adapting to everything off the field also. “To make the shift to live here, the

transition academically, he never ever recalled, and it was never anything that was a struggle for him,”Key said.”Aside from his accent, he plays right into everybody else.”The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be the first

time that Shanahan’s family has actually been together for one of his games. Each player was given two tickets for friends and family, however Shanahan had the ability to get some from his teammates, and his father purchased 20 extra tickets to offer the household what Shanahan estimated to be at least 40 total seats.Along with his enjoyment for having his family in presence, Shanahan is wanting to introduce his colleagues to regional breakfast. “It’s blood pudding,”he stated.”You might error it for sausage, but it’s not really sausage. Coach Secret disliked it. I asked our nutritional expert yesterday,’We’re having the pudding aren’t we?’And she’s like,

‘Coach Key stated he absolutely does not wish to see that. ‘I resembled, ‘What are we doing here?’However I’m going to slip some blood pudding in.””He can introduce them all they want,” Key stated.”I’m staying away from it. I’ll take my eggs and my grits. “That’s fine. Shanahan has some less objectionable things he wish to show his colleagues and coaches, too:”There’s a number of bars in Dublin that I ‘d love to take them to if we win.”