GAA super keepers Rory Beggan and Mark Jackson could make an impact as NFL kickers

THE first time the wider footballing public ever heard of Mark Jackson, it was easy to sit up and take note – the Wicklow goalkeeper scored 0-7 from placed balls in the county’s surprise win against Offaly in the 2018 Leinster championship.

The Baltinglass man was only 19 at the time but he has since gone on to establish himself as a goalkeeper of real substance. He may not have the profile of some of the game’s elite keepers but Jackson has still proven himself to be a phenomenon.

After scoring two long-range frees in Wicklow’s league win against London in February, the BillHillWicklow website showed how Jackson had scored more than 100 points in league and championship. That tally has now risen to 120 (74 in league and 46 in championship).

In Wicklow’s 11 league and championship games in 2023, Jackson bagged 0-2 or more in nine of those matches.

He was just the third goalkeeper to pass the 100 points barrier, after Monaghan’s Rory Beggan and Tyrone’s Niall Morgan. 

Beggan is out in front, with 127 points scored in 124 games for Monaghan. His championship tally is now running at an incredible 0-64 from 52 championship appearances.

Beggan is a freak. Recently, Cahair O’Kane of the ‘ Irish News’ showed how Beggan has started 123 consecutive games for Monaghan since 2013. 

Apart from one injury-time substitution and one black card, Beggan has otherwise played all 8,600+ minutes. Incredible numbers.

Stephen Cluxton will always be the Godfather of modern goalkeeping – and modern football – but keepers like Beggan, Morgan, Jackson and Raymond Galligan (who has since taken over as Cavan manager) have become as much renowned for their scoring feats as their shot-stopping.

In 99 appearances in the position for the county, Galligan scored 0-97. Yet if he had started his career in the number 1 jersey, and not as a forward, Galligan’s statistics could possibly have surpassed Beggan’s.

It's unknown though, where Jackson’s numbers could yet take him. No goalkeeper has ever scored as much as he has at this stage of his career. Still only 24, and seven years younger than Beggan and Morgan, there’s every possibility that Jackson will end his career as the top-scoring goalkeeper in the history of the game.

One of the big questions now though, is if Jackson – and Beggan – will be around for much longer to finish out those careers on the GAA fields.

Both will miss a significant chunk of the upcoming National League as Jackson and Beggan are set to attend an NFL training camp in Florida in February.

Along with Charlie Smyth of Down and former Ireland U20 rugby full-back Darragh Leader, Beggan and Jackson will spend three weeks in Florida training as part of the NFL’s international player pathway.

The four players will be coached by Tadhg Leader – Darragh’s brother. Beggan, Jackson and Smyth will all seek opportunities as NFL kickers, while Leader, who was once a member of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad, will aim to make it as a punter.

The four players will subsequently attend February’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the annual showcase for American college players ahead of the NFL draft. All four will attempt to convince franchises to sign them to their practice squads in the international player slot.

It’s a long shot but, in September, the NFL announced changes to the number of international players taken on by individual teams. Starting from next season, all 32 franchises will receive an additional roster spot for its practice squad to accommodate one international player.

In November, Beggan, Jackson, Smyth and Morgan attended an international combine in England, going through a traditional NFL workout, culminating in a kicking competition. Morgan (32), who has a young family, showed up well but has since returned to Tyrone training.

IDEAL

Beggan and Jackson have similar styles, where their short run-up style could be perfect for American football. 

Place kickers and punters are specialised positions that require little training beyond kicking skills, meaning GAA and rugby players with no experience of the sport can quickly get up to speed.

The idea of recruiting Irish athletes with backgrounds in GAA, rugby and soccer was nurtured at the back of Tadgh Leader’s mind for years. After a rugby career playing out-half for Connacht teams, the Irish U20s, across Italy and America and gaining a couple of caps with the US Eagles, he tried out as a specialist kicker in a spring league with discarded college and NFL players before trialling with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.

He subsequently set up ‘ Leader Kicking’, where his programme has seen former Laois and Cavan footballers Ross Bolger and Rónán Patterson earning scholarships to play at Idaho State and Monmouth University respectively.

Is it possible to have a career in the NFL with such a late start? Morten Andersen certainly proved it was. ‘ The Great Dane’ was born in Copenhagen and didn’t kick an American football until he was 18 when he visited the US as an exchange student. Andersen was so impressive in his one season of high school football that he was given a scholarship to Michigan State University.

Andersen went on to play in the NFL for 25 seasons, ranking second overall in field goals (565) and points scored (2,544). Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Given their age, it’s unlikely that Beggan or Jackson could make a career in the NFL. Yet given their laser accuracy, icy temperament and the huge distance and range of their kicking game, anything could yet be possible.