AFL’s college football takeover grows as son of well-known footy figure to win title

The son of a well-known AFL figure will claim college football’s ultimate prize next week, with Eddie McGuire and Matt Rendell’s kids to face off in the national title game.

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Aussie punters are littered throughout the college game but the championship clash between Ohio State and Notre Dame will feature two with close links to footy.

Joe McGuire, the son of ex-Collingwood president and media personality Eddie, is the Ohio State punter while James Rendell, the son of late Fitzroy champion turned recruiter Matt, punts for Notre Dame.

McGuire’s Buckeyes won through to the title game on Saturday (AEDT), defeating Texas 28-14 after a late fumble return touchdown sealed it. The Aussie kicked six times for an average of 42 yards, twice having his punts downed inside the 20.

Rendell’s Fighting Irish won a thriller over Penn State, 27-24, on Friday. He punted four times, averaging 39.3 yards but all four were downed inside the 20.

The winner will be the latest Aussie punter to claim a national title, following Brett Thorson, who represented Georgia on route to their 2022 crown.

“It is huge,” Eddie McGuire said of the college game on Sam Newman’s You Cannot be Serious podcast a few weeks ago.

“When you talk to people, a lot of people in Australia, granted there’s a lot now who follow the college football and understand it, but they think it’s like, you know, Old Xavs versus old Geelong or something like that, or Old Melburnians versus Collegians in the VAFA. When in fact, I was at the last three games I’ve seen over here, watching my son play for the Ohio State, the attendances have been 106, 105, and 102 – and 102,000 was being played in minus 12 degrees at eight o’clock on a Saturday night.

“And the college had, the university was closed and people had gone home for Christmas. Still 102,000 people in there.

“And it was absolutely rocking the place. And thankfully for Ohio State, they had a great win over Tennessee (to start the playoff).”

Rendell attempted a footy career before the switch to gridiron, rucking at Frankston in the VFL, while McGuire played both cricket and footy at Melbourne Grammar, before both men took the well-travelled pathway with Prokick Australia into the college ranks.

Both men’s teams have had rollercoaster seasons.

Ohio State shockingly lost to arch-rival Michigan late in the season, backing into the expanded 12-team playoffs but winning three straight games, including demolishing No.1 seed Oregon.

Notre Dame copped one of the biggest upsets of the year, against lowly Northern Illinois, but has won 13 games in a row since.

The national championship game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday January 21 at 11:30am AEDT, and can be watched live on Kayo via ESPN.