Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2024 35 2024 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W SPECIAL TE AMS BY TYLER HORKA N otre Dame has not had the same punter and kicker from one season to the next since 2020-21. This year, the Irish are breaking in a new placekicker in South Carolina transfer Mitch Jeter. But junior punter Bryce McFerson is returning for his second stint as a starter, and there was a lot to like from him in the first. He would have placed in the top 20 among all punters nationwide with an average of 45.1 yards per boot if he kicked enough times to qualify. He only punted 38 times. That was enough to entrench him as the guy in 2024, though, and Jeter is most definitely the guy as well. He was almost automatic as a Gamecock, going 23 of 25 overall (92 percent) in two seasons as a starter. Pinpoint accuracy is something Notre Dame has longed for in a kicker even going back to Jonathan Doerer from 2019-21. He was a career 75.4 percent kicker. Blake Grupe made 73.7 percent of his kicks in his one year with the Irish after coming in from Arkansas State, and South Florida transfer Spencer Shrader hit at a 68.2 percent clip for Notre Dame last year. "I think consistency is going to be the biggest thing for any specialist," Jeter said. "The biggest thing that I want is consis- tency in my ball flight, in my contact. At a certain level, it feels like almost every single kicker has similar leg strength, similar power. "It's going to be how fine-tuned can your contact be — to get that end-over-end rotation on the ball, to get the most consistent hit on the ball that you can." Putting foot to football is the biggest part of the operation. But getting the ball in the hands of the holder is important too, and for the first time since 2019 the Irish will have somebody other than Michael Vinson tasked with long- snapping duties. The spring is a chance to see who Notre Dame picks as Vinson's replacement. POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH LONG SNAPPER It's an unsung position at long snapper, but we've got to give props to four-year starter Michael Vinson for never firing off an errant snap according to Notre Dame athletics. Not one. Now the Sun Bowl team captain is gone, and the Irish have junior Rino Monteforte, sophomore Andrew Kros and freshman Joseph Vinci to choose from as his replacement. PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Marty Biagi (second season) Returning Starters: Jr. P Bryce McFerson Departing Starters: K Spencer Shrader, LS Michael Vinson, PR Chris Tyree Projected New Starters: Gr. K Mitch Jeter, Jr. LS Rino Monteforte, So. PR Jordan Faison Newcomers: Jeter, Gr. KR Jayden Harrison NUMBERS TO KNOW 0.18 Rating for Notre Dame in the Fremeau Efficiency Index for special teams in 2023, which ranked 18th nationally. That was down from 0.20 and a national ranking of No. 7 in 2022. 45.1 Yards per punt on 38 boots by Bryce McFerson in his first year as the starter. He also serves as Notre Dame's holder on place kicks, making him as important of a specialist as any on the Irish roster. 92.0 Field goal percentage for incoming Notre Dame transfer kicker Mitch Jeter. During the past two seasons, On3's top-ranked transfer portal kicker has converted all 20 field goal attempts from 20 to 49 yards while connecting on 3 of 5 from 50 yards or more. ALL EYES ON … GRADUATE STUDENT KICK RETURNER JAYDEN HARRISON Jadarian Price was a lethal kick returner in 2023, taking one to the house against USC, but Jayden Harrison is super special. The Marshall transfer finished No. 2 nationally in kick return average last year at 30.65 yards per return. He had 2 touch- downs as well. Look for Harrison to become the primary kick returner, especially with Price taking on an elevated role in the backfield. Bryce McFerson booted 13 punts (of his 38 total) for 50 or more yards in 2023, had 10 fair catches and placed 5 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER