“I have Eli Manning’s locker. Every now and again I have to pinch myself, and say, you’re actually here.”
In 2018, Jude McAtamney was just one of thousands of young Gaelic footballers dreaming of making it to the very top of the game.
The Swatragh youngster would go on to lift the Ulster Under-20s title with his native Derry and looked poised for a career in inter-county football.
But three years later, his aspirations for a life in elite sport would bring him across the Atlantic Ocean to the American college football system at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Fast forward to 2024, the 24-year-old is now competing for a place on the New York Giants’ matchday squad as a placekicker after setting his sights on a career in the NFL.
Making his competitive debut against Washington, McAtamney kicked two for two in their 27-22 defeat and looks set to feature in the coming weeks after injuries to starting kickers Greg Joseph and Graham Gano.
“Once I got here, the aim short-term was to make the team,” McAtamney told BBC Sport NI.
“But a long-term goal, looking back, I want to say that I’ve had a six-plus year [career] in the NFL, whatever that looks like.”
McAtamney ‘had a feeling’ Giants move would happen
Published
1 May 2024
McAtamney impresses for Giants in defeat by Jets
Published
25 August 2024
He added: “That is the goal, I’m going to try and play for as long as I can.
“I think you have to have that mindset to even be comfortable being here because it’s that competitive.”
McAtamney’s college football journey started in 2021 with the Chowan Hawks after he accepted a scholarship to study at Chowan University in North Carolina.
A year later, he transferred to Rutgers, where he won a place as starting placekicker.
His ambition to make it as a professional took a huge step forward when, having impressed at the NFL draft by making all 10 of his kicks, he was invited to train with the New York Giants.
“At the start in May, I was just trying to make as good of an impression as I could, put everything out there, have no regrets, and see where I fall,” recalled McAtamney.
“And luckily enough, I was called back for the beginning of the season.”
Now, McAtamney is part of the practice squad of one of the biggest NFL franchises in the United States.
“The first couple of years at college were tough, but getting experience in college, I think it definitely prepared me for coming here.
“Every now and again I would stop and look around and say, just be grateful and thankful that you’re here and trying to enjoy each day that I get, because not every week’s guaranteed, so I take every blessing as it comes.
“And even just being around the lads in here, they make me feel at home, like a home away from home, so I’m very happy, and the kicking, it’s very enjoyable.
“Obviously there’s challenges along the way, but I’ve been loving it so far.”
But McAtamney knows his biggest challenge – earning a competitive NFL debut for the four-time Super Bowl champions – still lies ahead.
And it seemed all the more attainable when Giants starting placekicker Graham Gano was sidelined with a hamstring injury in September. However, McAtamney’s hopes were dashed when Gano was replaced by Detroit Lions kicker Greg Joseph.
“I’m controlling what I can control,” he continued.
“I was ready to play at the time, not to say I should have played but personally I felt I was ready. I’m just preparing every week to be ready, even if I’m not playing.
“Every week is a learning opportunity, and I feel like I’m learning and getting better as time goes on.
“The underlying goal of trying to make it professionally was something that I was hungry for.
“I look back at Gaelic at home and as a young kid, I know a lot of people will disagree, but I wanted Gaelic to be professional as a kid, because like that’s what I love doing, but it’s just not that way.
“So this came up, and I was like I’m throwing every egg into this basket.”
