By:
Conor Martin
County Tyrone native Lorcan Quinn is continuing to impress in the American college football scene, turning heads both in the States and Ireland.
The Irishman kicked a 55-yard field goal last Thursday, which is the second-longest field goal in school history. However, like many Irish who have impressed playing America’s national sport, he started out playing Gaelic football.
https://twitter.com/usmntonly/status/1985068901953339634
Marshall’s kicker Lorcan Quinn was a Gaelic football player who had never played American football before two months ago. He hit a 55 yarder.
Soccer players really would be the best kickers in the NFL pic.twitter.com/YkzMIdi1lM
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) November 2, 2025
Lorcan Quinn is making waves Stateside
Quinn’s home club back in Ireland is Donaghmore St Patrick’s-GAC, and he appeared in the senior panel for the Tyrone senior football team during their 2021 All-Ireland winning campaign and was the county’s second-choice goalkeeper.
His move into American football was facilitated by a kicking programme in Ireland and performance camps in the U.S., where he demonstrated long-distance kicking ability (in one instance going 8-for-8, which included two remarkable efforts, 68- and 69-yard attempts at a camp at IMG Academy in Florida).
After demonstrating his kicking ability, which stems back to his GAA days, taking kick-outs, he earned a scholarship to play American college football at Marshall Thundering Herd in West Virginia as a place-kicker.
Why does Lorcan Quinn’s ability make him stand out?
Despite being a freshman, Quinn has made field goals of 50+ yards in the college game, which is exceptional for a first-year kicker, and his current form right now is flawless on extra points.
He has earned accolades and was named in the Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week last month when he made all four field-goal attempts in a game against Texas State.
In American football, the kicker is a specialist role, and Quinn’s ability to make long field goals contributes significantly to his team’s scoring.
Overall, it shows that a Gaelic footballer can transition nicely to American football and highlights again the growing trend of athletes from non-American football backgrounds, especially Ireland, transitioning into the U.S. college system as kickers/punters.
While he has long kicks and good stats, his overall field goal percentage, which is currently at 75% shows there is room to clean up consistency.
Transitioning fully into the American football world takes time; his background gives him the raw tools, but his experience of kicking long distances, however, has helped him perhaps adapt quickly.
As he gets more game time and continues to improve, opponents will study him more, so maintaining composure and technique under pressure will be key as he looks to make the most of his scholarship opportunity.
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