Boston College Athletics
Gomulinski Gets A Kick Out Of Starting Role
August 28, 2003 | Football
Aug. 28, 2003
By Katie Landers
A year ago, if you asked Jeff Gomulinski where he'd be this fall, he'd probably say practicing on the football field - but not in Chestnut Hill. He would have pictured himself down on the coast of Connecticut, at Fairfield University. A small Jesuit school, Farifield surprisingly dropped its Division I-AA football team from varsity athletics last winter.
In the middle of the academic year, while most schools had passed signing day, Jeff Gomulinski was a punter without a team.
The Connecticut native sent out 50 tapes to football programs, hoping that someone would be able to use him for the 2003 season. NCAA rules allowed former Stags to transfer schools without penalty, so then it was just up to Gomulinski to make a choice.
"Well, when you send out 50 tapes, you're just hoping for something," Gomulinski said.
A few weeks later Boston College came knocking.
"I was ecstatic," he said, "not only because it's a great athletic school, it's a great academic school."
The junior transfer has soared to the top of the depth chart and is slated to start this weekend against Wake Forest. In the short time he's had to prepare for playing in a Division I football program like BC, Gomulinski says he feels ready to open up the season on Saturday.
"Well, you can see the smile on my face. I'm pretty excited about it," Gomulinski said. "Like I said, I can't wait to get out there and show BC and the BIG EAST that I'm ready to play."
Deep South schools like Clemson, Alabama, South Carolina and Southern Miss all showed interest in recruiting Gomulinski, but in the end he knew his heart was with the Eagles. By staying in the northeast, he knew that his family would get to see him play, and there was an open door for him to play on the squad with Kevin McMyler having finished his Boston College career.
Gomulinski knew it was going to take more than just an open spot to earn a position with the Eagles. Becoming a top competitor hasn't come overnight, but the past six months have been ample time to prepare what will come his way this fall. Still a learning process, camp has been a challenge that is introducing him to the kind of player he can be.
"The speed's a lot faster and everyone is so athletic,"he said. "It's tough to get used to; it took me all of camp. I'm still trying to get in the groove of things. As games are coming up I'm going to have to get in the groove of doing that, too. I'm going to have to be a fast learner."
The junior gives a lot of credit to Fairfield for his development as a punter. He didn't short the program despite the fact that it abandoned him. His freshman year, Gomulinski was a three-step punter, but with the help of his special teams coach, he changed to two steps and shaved some time off his punt.
"We had a special teams coach come in and change my steps from three to two so I got used to stepping two steps my sophomore year," he said. "That really helped me because now, especially with Miami and Virginia Tech, if you're a three-step punter in this league you're going to get your kicks blocked."
Obviously he doesn't want that. It takes a big-time player to work up the courage to come in to Boston and start your very first game at Alumni Stadium in front of 40,000 people. Like Gomulinski said, it'll be like practicing in his back yard. Sort of.
"Actually, it's more like my front yard and my mom always yelled at me."
She'll probably still be yelling, but this time, he really won't hear her.
