Staff report

Mitch Jeter, the former Notre Dame kicker who is a native of Salisbury, has accepted an invitation to the rookie mini-camp of the Minnesota Vikings and will have a chance to impress some people.

That mini-camp will be held on May 8-10.

Playing as a graduate student for the Fighting Irish in 2024, Jeter started strong but missed two full games and most of another at mid-season with significant injuries. That contributed to his 13-for-21 record on field goals , but he had a super run during the playoffs, going 7-for-8 with numerous clutch kicks against Indiana, Georgia and Penn State to help Notre Dame advance.

In the Georgia game, he kicked field goals of 44, 48 and 47 yards and he kicked a game-winner with seven seconds left to beat Penn State.

He was 54-for-54 on extra points.

The 23-year-old played at the University of South Carolina before transferring to Notre Dame. He was the primary placekicker for two seasons for the Gamecocks.

He was 12-for-14 on field goals in the 2023 season, including a 51-yarder against Missouri. He was 33-for-34 on PATs.

He was 11-for-11 on field goals for the Gamecocks in 2022, with two 50-yard kicks. He was 42-for-44 on PATs.

In 2020 and 2021, he was limited to kickoff duties for the Gamecocks, who already had a stellar kicker on the roster.

Jeter went to high school at Cannon School in Concord. His primary sport while he was a student at Salisbury Academy was soccer.

He was an all-region soccer player for Cannon School, but he started focusing more on football after achieving considerable success kicking field goals for the Cabarrus Warriors, a team made up of players from Cannon School and Concord First Assembly.

He made a name for himself at kicking camps and received a scholarship offer from South Carolina.