Notre Dame continues to forgo younger kickers, landing South Carolina transfer Micah Jeter on Thursday

For the third straight season, of what could become a long-term Notre Dame trend, the Irish have pulled in a veteran transfer kicker to handle field-goal duties in 2024. South Carolina’s Micah Jeter committed to Notre Dame on Thursday morning.

Next season will be Jeter’s final year of eligibility.

He made 23-of-25 field goals the last two seasons, perhaps most notably not missing a field-goal attempt from within 50 yards, going 3-of-5 from beyond that range. Surprisingly, Jeter has missed three point after attempts in his career, going 77-of-80.

Notre Dame has somewhat indicated it may forgo high-school kicker recruiting moving forward. There was no genuine pursuit for one from the Irish in either of the last two recruiting cycles. Current sophomore Zac Yoakam is on the roster as a walk-on, his notable contribution being handling kickoff duties in 2022 when then-freshman Bryce McFerson strained his groin just before the season opener at Ohio State.

The Notre Dame punter, McFerson’s focus has since returned to those duties.

Instead, the Irish landed South Florida’s Spencer Shrader last winter, his season in South Bend marked by early consistency before his powerful leg found a groove to finish the regular season 10-of-11. Going 14-of-20 on the year with multiple school-record long field goals is hardly a disappointing season.

Two years ago, Arkansas State transfer Blake Grupe began this roster-construction trend, subsequently going 14-of-19, including 8-of-9 inside 40 yards.

Notre Dame’s logic is rather clear: Pulling in a veteran kicker raises the offense’s floor on an annual basis while, at worst, lowering the ceiling once every three or four years.

The Irish used to land a kicker about once every five recruiting cycles, handing the place-kicking duties to him full-time for the next four years as he entered his true sophomore season. The risk was, perhaps a massive crowd on a Saturday could undo what that player showed in practice. A scattered kicker without an adequate replacement on the roster would cost the team at some point.

The best-case scenario was gradual development for two years before becoming an automatic leg in his final two seasons.

Notre Dame now trades those anxious worries but perhaps costs itself a perfect piece of development, not a certainty and probably more the exception that proves the rule than otherwise.

Grupe brought calm. Shrader brought power. Jeter should bring accuracy, his 20-of-20 from within 50 yards the kind of security blanket that raises an offense’s floor. Anytime the Irish can get inside the 32-yard-line next season, some points should be all but assured.

INTO THE NFL DRAFT WITH ELIGIBILITY REMAINING
Linebacker Marist Liufau
Linebacker JD Bertrand
Right tackle Blake Fisher
Left tackle Joe Alt
Cornerback Cam Hart

OUTGOING TRANSFERS
Receiver Tobias Merriweather
Receiver Rico Flores Jr.
Receiver Chris Tyree
Receiver Braylon James
Tight end Holden Staes
Center Zeke Correll
Defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah
Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina
Safety Ramon Henderson
Safety Antonio Carter
Corrnerback Ryan Barnes
Offensive lineman Michael Carmody

INCOMING TRANSFERS
Quarterback Riley Leonard
Receiver Kris Mitchell
Receiver Beaux Collins
Defensive back Jordan Clark
Kicker Micah Jeter

follow @d_farmer