From roadworks to debut in front of 90,000 fans

Former Tyrone goalkeeper Lorcan Quinn says he is taking inspiration from New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth as he chases his own dream of playing in the NFL.

Smyth, 24, started six games for the Saints – converting 12 of his 16 field goal attempts – after being elevated to their active roster in November and signing a three-year deal last month.

Quinn, who was part of Tyrone’s 2021 All-Ireland winning panel, is hoping to follow in Smyth’s footsteps after transferring from Marshall University in West Virginia to Alabama’s prestigious football programme 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,” said Quinn.

“He’s inspiring loads of lads here and I’m sure a lot of lads are dreaming of doing the same thing as Charlie’s doing. He’s made it possible to even think about doing this because before Charlie, it wasn’t possible.

“He’s opened a doorway there obviously with the help of Tadhg [Leader]. He’s just shown that it is possible when you have the leg talent and put the work in, you could end up doing something like that.”

Quinn, who played his club gaelic football for Donaghmore, hopes to land an NFL contract in the future after establishing himself as one of the best kickers in college football.

During the 2025 season, Quinn broke the Marshall record for field goals in a single season with 21, four of which were converted from more than 50 yards.

It would cap a remarkable journey for a man who just over a year ago was laying telecommunications wires on roads for work before linking up with kicking coach Tadhg Leader.

Having stepped away from the Tyrone squad in 2024, Quinn travelled with other aspiring kickers to demonstrate their skills in front of college coaches at an event in Florida 12 months ago.

He scored all eight of his field goal attempts and subsequently joined Marshall on a scholarship in May, making his debut for the Thundering Herd against Georgia Bulldogs in front of 90,000 fans at Sanford Stadium.

“With the All-Ireland final team I was on the bench behind [starting goalkeeper] Niall Morgan at Croke Park [which holds 82,300].

“To actually get out on to 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 pulled the arm off you.

“I was going out, I had a bit of a slow start and got comfortable towards, I was really happy with how the season went and getting the records were nice to have on top of that.”

While Quinn is inspired by Smyth’s story with the Saints, he admits he is wary of building his dream up too much after watching Jude McAtamney’s New York Giants career come to an end.

The former Derry GAA goalkeeper was released by the Giants after he missed two kicks in a 33-32 defeat by 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,” added Quinn, who admits he never owned a laptop before attending Marshall.

“I’m not a Giants fan but I just wanted to see him kicking. Me and a couple of other lads were talking about it, it’s such a difficult place to be in.

“Charlie’s doing unbelievable, 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.”