Shane Beamer remains confident in kicking situation heading into next season
If there’s one thing any football team, including South Carolina, wants from its kicker, it’s
consistency. And Mitch Jeter was as consistent performer as any for the Gamecocks over the
past two seasons.
Whenever Jeter lined up to take a kick, the ball almost always found its way through the
uprights. Jeter took 105 total kicks – including extra points and field goals – in his South
Carolina career. Of those 105, 100 of them were converted. He made 92% (23-25) of his field
goals and 96.3% (77-80) of his extra points.
Beamer’s reaction to Jeter’s entrance into the transfer portal was immediate. Rather than
looking elsewhere for a starting-caliber kicker, he decided to put redshirt senior Alex Herrera on
scholarship.
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Despite losing another productive kicker in Jeter, Beamer remains confident in the kicking
options he has at his disposal.
Beamer’s reaction to Jeter’s entrance into the transfer portal was immediate. Rather than
looking elsewhere for a starting-caliber kicker, he decided to put redshirt senior Alex Herrera on
scholarship.
“When (Jeter) decided to move on, that was a pretty easy decision,” Beamer said. “I think Alex
was going to possibly go somewhere to be the starting kicker. And I didn’t want to let a good
kicker walk out the door.”
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Herrera has yet to attempt a field goal in his five years with the program. But he has converted
all four of his extra points and spent time on kickoff duty early in his career.
In fact, Herrera competed with Jeter for the starting kicking job before the 2022 campaign
following the departure of Parker White, South Carolina’s all-time leader in points scored, to
the NFL. Unfortunately for Herrera, it would be a competition he would narrowly lose.
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“That was a competition that literally went to the week of the first game. That was a
competition that went through the spring, went through the summer, went through preseason
camp,” Beamer said. “Pete (Lembo) and I literally decided the week of the Georgia State game
that we were going to go with Mitch, but it was that close.”
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However, Beamer said Herrera will have to compete once again to be the team’s starting kicker.
He added that South Carolina’s latest recruit on special teams, Mason Love, is in the running for
the job, too. Love, a three-star recruit, is rated by the On3 Industry Ranking as the third-best
punter in the country in the class of 2024.
“We feel good about Alex continuing to progress, and with Mason coming in, (we’re) throwing
him in the mix, also.”
It is true that Love may develop into a promising prospect down the line. As far as this
offseason is concerned, South Carolina’s special teams’ veteran presence is what’s fueling
Beamer’s optimism about the kicking position.
“We feel good about that position. Certainly, being able to return Hunter (Rogres) and Kai
(Kroeger) as snapper, holder and punter. And then having a guy that’s been in our program and has experience, also – we’re very pleased about (that).”
