Football: The strange world of kicker-punter-long snapper at Notre Dame

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It’s three hours before kickoff, and the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame trio of kicker Lucas Alfonso, punter Jackson Koonce and long snapper Justin Goossen-Brown are spending some quality time together doing absolutely nothing.

Well, not nothing. They’re on the football field kicking, punting, long snapping, catching passes, throwing passes, acting goofy and doing everything but worrying about their playoff game ahead. They’re in their own little world, and it helps explain how everyone handles pressure so well.

All their teammates are in a walk through away from the field. But this trio is dismissed. So they’re having the time of their life playing little games in an empty football stadium. What a concept. They’re having fun.

It makes perfect sense, and to see the camaraderie helps explain why Notre Dame is so good in the special teams department seemingly every season. But make no mistake about it: They give new meaning to the term flake, as demonstrated by the video above.

-- Eric Sondheimer