Gamecocks’ new kicker, punter have arrived in Columbia. One could start this season
Incoming South Carolina football punter Kai Kroeger and kicker Mitch Jeter can’t actually enroll at the school until August as part of counting their scholarships toward the class of 2021.
But that doesn’t prevent them from being part of the team’s summer activities and both are now in Columbia.
A school spokesman confirmed they are in town after a Twitter account run by the team’s special teamers posted an image of the two as part of a group photo with other specialists.
Kroeger was considered one of the top punter recruits in the country out of Illinois. He’s expected to be a big part of the competition and likely the favorite to replace Joseph Charlton, one of the best punters in the history of the program.
His main competition projects to be Christian Kinsley, a former Lexington High School punter, who started for Kennesaw State in 2016 and 2017.
Jeter will almost assuredly work behind fourth-year starter Parker White this coming season, but will have the chance to compete for a starting spot after that.
The Gamecocks are seeing a good bit of turnover at the special teams sports. Charlton, who doubled as the holder on field goals is gone, as is long snapper Matt Oliveira, who was a grad transfer from Maryland, and starting punt returner Bryan Edwards.
This isn’t the first time a specialist has come to campus early like this. Before the 2018 season, Kent State kicker transfer Shane Hynes came to campus before the start of camp. He ultimately struggled in that summer and left Columbia before enrolling. He ended up at Wayne State and was mostly used there as a punter.
The Gamecocks are in the midst of voluntary offseason workouts after returning from the coronavirus shutdown. The can return to mandatory workouts on July 13 and can start a more intense lead-up to camp (20 hours a week, six of walk-throughs) on July 24.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Gamecocks’ new kicker, punter have arrived in Columbia. One could start this season."
