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Lorcan Quinn has joined college football powerhouse Alabama after a successful stint with Marshall University.
Former Tyrone goalkeeper Lorcan Quinn has stated he is drawing inspiration from New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth as he pursues his aspiration of playing in the NFL.
Smyth, 24, started in six games for the Saints, successfully converting 12 of his 16 field goal attempts. This followed his promotion to the active roster in November and the subsequent signing of a three-year contract last month.
Quinn, a member of Tyrone’s 2021 All-Ireland winning team, hopes to emulate Smyth’s journey. He has transferred from Marshall University in West Virginia to the highly regarded football program at the University of Alabama for his second year in college football.
“I look up to Charlie, even though he’s probably a couple of months younger than I am,” Quinn told BBC Sport NI’s Thomas Niblock.
“He’s inspiring a lot of guys here, and I’m sure many are dreaming of achieving what Charlie is doing. He’s made it conceivable to even consider this path because before Charlie, it seemed impossible.
“He’s opened a door, with the help of Tadhg [Leader], of course. He’s simply demonstrated that it’s achievable if you possess the leg talent and dedication to put in the work; you could end up accomplishing something similar.”
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Quinn, who previously played club gaelic football for Donaghmore, aspires to secure an NFL contract in the future after establishing himself as a prominent kicker in college football.
During the 2025 season, Quinn set a Marshall record for the most field goals in a single season with 21, including four converted from distances exceeding 50 yards.
This would mark a remarkable turn for a man who, just over a year ago, was installing telecommunications wires before connecting with kicking coach Tadhg Leader.
After stepping away from the Tyrone squad in 2024, Quinn, along with other aspiring kickers, attended an event in Florida 12 months ago to showcase their abilities to college coaches.
He successfully made all eight of his field goal attempts, which led to him joining Marshall on a scholarship in May. He then made his debut for the Thundering Herd against the Georgia Bulldogs in front of 90,000 spectators at Sanford Stadium.
“With the All-Ireland final team, I was on the bench behind [starting goalkeeper] Niall Morgan at Croke Park [which has a capacity of 82,300].
“To actually get out on the field with that sort of capacity is unbelievable.
“I went out, and it was all going to be new to me. If I was told at the start of the year I’d be doing those sorts of things, I’d have jumped at the chance.
“I was going out; I had a bit of a slow start and got comfortable towards the end. I was really happy with how the season went, and getting the records was a nice bonus on top of that.”
Quinn debuted at Sanford Stadium in Georgia before a crowd of 93,000.
While Quinn finds inspiration in Smyth’s journey with the Saints, he acknowledges the importance of tempering expectations, particularly after observing Jude McAtamney’s NFL career with the New York Giants come to an end.
The former Derry GAA goalkeeper was released by the Giants after missing two kicks in a 33-32 defeat to the Denver Broncos in October.
“I was watching games as soon as Jude got the starting job because it was great to see an Irish lad kicking,” Quinn added, noting he had never owned a laptop prior to attending Marshall.
“I’m not a Giants fan, but I just wanted to see him kicking. Me and a couple of other guys were talking about it; it’s such a difficult position to be in.
“Charlie’s doing unbelievably, Jude’s was as cut-throat as that, and that’s how fine the line in this game is.
“You can’t get too high or too low with it. You don’t want to become a robot without emotions because everyone’s human, but you can’t get too high with it, and when it’s low, don’t count yourself out.”
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