Army-Notre Dame Game Features Unique Connection for Fighting Irish Kicker

When the Army Black Knights and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish clash on Saturday, it will mean a bit more to Eric Goins.

Apr 20, 2024; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish kicker Eric Goins (90) kicks off at the start of the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

There are already a litany of relevant and incredible storylines entering Saturday's game between the Army West Point Black Knights and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 and in the College Football Playoff Top 25. Both have aspiration to get into the first expanded 12-team playoff.

It's the first time the two programs have met since 2016 and Army is gunning for its first win over the Irish in more than 60 years. That last victory came in 1958, and it just happens to be the last time the Black Knights went undefeated and had a Heisman Trophy winner.

Eric Goins is a walk-on kicker for the Irish. He primarily handles kickoffs because of his booming leg. At one time, he played football at The Citadel. But there's a long break in his college football resume, as he was The Citadel's special teams MVP in 2015 and just joined the Fighting Irish this year.

That gap is represented by his service in the U.S. Army.

Per his Notre Dame bio, Goins served seven years in the United States Army as an active-duty officer. He began as an Airborne Infantry Officer as a Second Lieutenant before becoming a First Lieutenant. After four years, he was promoted to Captain and served as a Signal Corps Officer.

It’s unique enough that the Herndon, Va., native is 30 years old and playing college football. But on Saturday he’ll go up against the service academy for the branch he served in the U.S. military.

The story is unique enough that NBC will tell it in a two-minute vignette called “What Would You Fight For,” which will air before the third quarter of the game, per USA Today.

"When you think of a college football player, a 30-year-old former Army infantry and communications officer typically doesn't come to mind," Goins said in the video.

His coach, Marcus Freeman, is a son of military parents, as his father served in the Air Force. He felt taking on Goins as their kickoff specialist was a unique opportunity to bring real-life experience to his team.

He also knows how special Saturday could be for Goins.

“Having a guy like Eric being able to share his wisdom with our entire program, but specifically our young guys during fall camp was meaningful,” Freeman said during a media availability on Thursday. “He was able to speak to them through a lens of experience, through a guy that’s been to other places, that has been in the military, and I think he provided some wisdom for our guys that they don’t get to hear every fall camp when you hear and you have the seniors speak.”

Army (9-0, 7-0 in American) enters the game undefeated and has already clinched a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship game against Tulane. Notre Dame (9-1) is in the mid for a CFP berth but can’t afford another loss after an unexpected upset against Northern Illinois in September.