Swatragh's Jude McAtamney joins New York Giants
Former Derry Under-20 footballer is drafted as a free agent
The kicker, formerly of Swatragh, who won an Ulster U20 title in 2018, recently graduated from Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he was an honours student majoring in Labor and Employment Relations.
After training with Prokick, an Australian organisation which recruits AFL players to become NFL kickers and punters, McAtamney earned a scholarship to Chowan University in North Carolina. He played there for one season before committing to Rutgers, a NCAA Division One programme, in 2022.
McAtamney played 25 games in two seasons with the Division I Rutgers Scarlet Knights after a year at Division II Chowan University in North Carolina.
In his first year with Rutgers, who play in the prestigious Big 10 conference, McAtmaney scored 12/18 field-goal attempts (longest 49 yards) and completed 23/24 extra-point attempts.
Last year, he was supplanted as place-kicker by Jai Patel, but continued to take kick-offs, booting a school-record 40 touchbacks.