Justin Yoon
Justin Yoon (born October 7, 1995) is an American football kicker who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Free agent | |
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Position: | Kicker |
Personal information | |
Born: | Nashville, Tennessee | October 7, 1995
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Montgomery Bell Academy Milton Academy |
College: | Notre Dame |
Undrafted: | 2019 |
Career highlights and awards | |
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High school
Born in Ohio,[2] Yoon, who grew up playing ice hockey while living in Nashville, TN,[3] played both ice hockey and football while attending Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts. He attended Harding Academy and Montgomery Bell Academy while living in Nashville. Despite starting football in eighth grade while at Harding Academy, Yoon was 9–11 on field goals, 38–39 on point after attempts and had 37 touchbacks in 53 kickoff attempts during his junior season at Milton. As a result, he was named PrepStar All-East Region for Massachusetts.[4] Yoon then missed much of his senior season due to injury, but was still invited to and played in the Under Armour All-America Game where he kicked three field goals of 31, 32 and 47 yards, and hit all five PAT attempts.[5] His 47-yard field goal was the longest in the Under Armour All-America Game's history.[6] On Feb. 4, 2015, National Signing Day, Yoon signed to play college football at Notre Dame.[7]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Yoon Kicker |
Nashville, Tennessee | Milton Academy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 24, 2014 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 1 (K) Rivals: 1 (K), 1 (MA) ESPN: 2 (K), 1 (MA), 77 (regional) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
As starting kicker Kyle Brindza had graduated and left for the NFL the previous spring, Yoon immediately became the starting kicker for the Fighting Irish. Sophomore Tyler Newsome handled the punting and kickoff duties, while Yoon handled field goals and point after attempts. After beginning the season 3–5 on FG attempts, Yoon ended the season a perfect 12–12 on field goals. He quickly became affectionately known by the moniker “YOOOON” that Notre Dame fans cheered during his kicks.[8] By the end of the regular season, Yoon was 46–48 on PATs and 15–17 on FGs, including a 52-yarder in a win over Navy.[9] Ranking as high as fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, the 10–2 Fighting Irish finished the season eighth in the CFP rankings and earned a spot in the New Year's Six Fiesta Bowl. For his efforts, Yoon was named an ESPN Freshman All-American at the end of the season.[10]
In 2018, during a 45–23 win over Virginia Tech, Yoon became Notre Dame's all-time leading scorer with 322 career points.[11]
Professional career
After being undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, Yoon tried out for the Chicago Bears at their rookie mini-camp in early May,[12] but was not signed.[13]
Personal
Yoon is of Korean descent and his father, Jiseop, was an Olympic figure skater.[14]
References
- "FWAA > News > Freshman All-America Team". www.sportswriters.net.
- "Yoon speaks softly, carries a big boot". ESPN.com. October 28, 2012.
- "Milton Acad.'s Yoon more than just a kicker". ESPN.com. October 22, 2014.
- "Notre Dame signee Justin Yoon embraces pressure of starting opportunity". NDinsider.com. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "#19 Justin Yoon". UND.com. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "Under Armour All-America Game 2015: Complete Box Score and Recruit Analysis". BleacherReport.com. 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "Notre Dame football notebook". ElkhartTruth.com. 2015-02-06. Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "He'll Make You Swoon: Justin Yoon '19". HerCampus.com. 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "Justin Yoon". ESPN.com. 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "The ESPN.com True Freshman All-America Team". ESPN.com. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- Barnett, Zach (October 7, 2018). "Notre Dame K Justin Yoon sets Irish all-time scoring record". College Football Talk. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- Finley, Patrick (May 3, 2019). "Derby weekend: All eyes on 8 kickers during Bears rookie minicamp". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- Eurich, Matt (May 6, 2019). "Chicago Bears release kickers John Baron and Redford Jones". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- "Behind The Recruit: Yoon Likes Big Stage". IrishSportsDaily.com. 2015-02-05. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
- "Justin Yoon's Epic Journey". Bleacher Report.
- "From clueless about football to kicking at Notre Dame: a journey from South Korea". USA Today.