Mitch Jeter injury: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman updates status of starting kicker
Notre Dame football’s key offseason transfer portal addition on special teams only played one quarter in the Fighting Irish’s 49-7 victory over Stanford on Saturday. Afterward, head coach Marcus Freeman said graduate student kicker Mitch Jeter did not finish the game due to injury.
“He’s had a tight groin,” Freeman told reporters in his postgame news conference. “I think on that kickoff, it didn’t feel great. They told me they were going to hold him. So, that’s all I know now.”
Jeter’s final play was a 39-yard kickoff with 1:27 left in the first quarter. Before that, he had a successful PAT attempt.
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In Jeter’s absence, Notre Dame special teams coordinator Marty Biagi turned to graduate student Eric Goins to handle kickoffs. Goins’ seven kicks totaled 444 yards.
Junior Zac Yoakam took over PATs, going 3-3 on his attempts. In the fourth quarter, Freeman turned to the reserves, which featured sophomore Marcello Diomede. He successfully converted a PAT.
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In addition to Yoakam and Diomede, the Irish have one more kicker on the roster, senior Chris Salerno. He is also the holder.
Mitch Jeter a key asset for Notre Dame before the Stanford game injury
Jeter has been exactly what Notre Dame needed when they plucked him out of the transfer portal from South Carolina in the winter.
He was 5-7 in five games with field goals of 42, 46 and 48 yards. His 46-yarder against Texas A&M put the Irish ahead by two possessions (23-13) with 30 seconds remaining in the game. He also converted kicks of 46 and 26 yards against the Aggies. The Lou Groza Award named him “Star of the Week” for his showing in College Station.
Jeter’s only two “missed” field goals were blocked in the NIU game. He was 19-19 on PATs.
Before arriving in South Bend, Jeter was one of the nation’s top kickers for the Gamecocks. He made 23-25 career kicks, his only two misses coming beyond 50 yards in 2023. His career-long is 53 yards.
Prior to the start of the season, the Resse’s Senior Bowl named Jeter to their 2025 watch list.
BOX SCORE: No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 49, Stanford Cardinal 7
