Maryland announces signing of Notre Dame punter Bryce McFerson

bryce mcferson courtesy of notre dame rivals

Maryland has scoured the transfer portal to address a handful of needs coming out of spring ball as head coach Mike Locksley looks to reel in the last pieces heading into the season. With the offensive line the top priority, former Liberty offensive tackle Chase Mitchell made the trip from USC to Maryland for a visit beginning Sunday and visited through Monday, while former Buffalo offensive lineman Isaiah Wright heads to College Park for an official visit beginning Friday. Bolstering the special teams unit was also a need for Maryland and on Friday, the program announced the signing of former Notre Dame punter Bryce McFerson.

McFerson announced his commitment back on May 1 and joins the program with three years of eligibility remaining, filling the last vacant scholarship heading into the season as Maryland continues to pursue the two mentioned portal linemen.

Colton Spangler filled in as the primary punter through the 2023 season before heading to the Baltimore Ravens’ minicamp this spring, but that left a void for Maryland. Still, Maryland finished with the fourth-lowest punt average in the Big Ten (40.3) as McFerson gives the unit a chance to upgrade the punting game, while he’ll also get a chance to compete as the starting kickoff specialist.

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An Indian Trail, North Carolina native, McFerson booted 38 punts this past season for the Irish and averaged 45.1 yards per kick. He connected on 13 punts of 50 yards or more in 2023, including twice blasting career-long punts of 59-yards against N.C. State and in Notre Dame’s bowl win over Oregon State. McFerson placed five punts inside the 20 with just two touchbacks.

McFerson served as Notre Dame’s primary holder for field goals and extra points during the second half of the 2023 season. He also excels in kickoffs as 63 of his 67 attempts while at Metrolina Christian Academy went for touchbacks during his senior season.

McFerson was the top-ranked punter in the country by 247 Sports and Chris Sailer Kicking coming out of high school. He was rated as the No. 5 kicker/punter in the country by ESPN and was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game.