Mitch Jeter, a former South Carolina standout, has announced his intention to move to the Fighting Irish for the 2024 season. With the addition of Jeter, Notre Dame will have a one-year transfer kicker for the third consecutive season. Jeter follows in the footsteps of Blake Grupe (Arkansas State) and Spencer Shrader (South Florida). Jeter has been South Carolina’s starting place kicker for the previous two seasons and their kickoff specialist for the last four. Jeter has made 23 of 25 field goal attempts and 75-78 extra point attempts in the last two years.
In the previous two seasons, the 5-10, 194-pound kicker was a perfect 21-21 on field goals of fewer than 50 yards. He made all four of his field goal attempts from 40 to 49 yards. Jeter was 1-3 on field goals from 50 yards or more this season, but he was 2-2 in 2022, bringing his career total to 3-5 on field goals from 50 yards or more over the last two seasons. Jeter lacks Shrader’s big leg, but he’s been incredibly accurate, reminding me a lot of former Irish great place kicker Justin Yoon. Yoon is Notre Dame’s all-time field goal percentage leader, hitting 80.8% of his shots for the Irish. Jeter has made 92.0% of his field goals over the last two seasons.
He has demonstrated the ability to effectively put the ball in the end zone on kickoffs, with 66.4% of his kickoffs landing in the end zone for scores. This season, Shrader kicked 63.8% of his kickoffs into the end zone, whereas Zac Yoakam kicked 61.6% of his kickoffs into the end zone in 2022.
Last season, Jeter hit a 45-yard field goal against Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, and he also made all five extra points.
