David Shanahan's unconventional trip from Ireland to Atlanta and back - ESPN

The Week 0 matchup between Georgia Tech and Florida State at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, is a neutral site game for everybody on both teams — except for Yellow Jackets punter David Shanahan.

Shanahan is from Castleisland, County Kerry, Ireland, and is believed to be the first Ireland native ever awarded a full scholarship to play American college football. On Aug. 24, he'll have the opportunity to play in his home country.

«I'm excited for the kid to have an opportunity to go home,» Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key said. «It's exciting anytime any kid gets to go back to their home, especially when it's far away from here.»

When he got to Georgia Tech, Shanahan — now a senior — thought there was a remote possibility that he'd be able to play a game in Ireland, but figured the odds would be slim given that Georgia Tech already played in Ireland in 2016. But during spring ball in 2022, Shanahan recalled Key calling him over during practice and asking him «cryptic» questions about Ireland.

«Usually he's over the O-line shouting at them somewhere. He's not really having a conversation midpractice,» he said. «I kind of caught on to it after a while because I knew the game was coming up and I knew they hadn't announced a fixture for 2024. But eventually he told me, and I was like, 'Oh, that's pretty sick.'»

Shanahan walked a winding path to American college football. Growing up, rugby and Gaelic football were his main sports. He compared the passion that people in Ireland have for Gaelic football to the passion people have in the United States for American football.

«When you're 15, you're training really hard, you're in the gym really hard,» he said. «I'm from Kerry, so every town in Kerry will have their own club, and