Shane Beamer names Alex Herrera as starting kicker for Week One

For the first time since 2016, South Carolina football’s kicking duties will be executed by someone other than Parker White or Mitch Jeter , two very consistent legs during their tenures in the garnet and black.

A spring and fall camp competition went by without much news on the front, but after the Week One depth chart was released, a starter was revealed: sixth-year senior and Columbia native Alex Herrera , who has been a part of the team since the 2019 season.

The job was left wide open after Jeter hit the transfer portal to spend his final collegiate season at Notre Dame, with Herrerra, Mason Love , Daniel Lester , William Joyce and Peyton Argent all vying for one position. Ultimately, it was the most experienced place kicker that won the job.

“Coming out of the preseason, we felt like Alex was just a little bit farther along. It was a competition,” Shane Beamer said. “As we got into scrimmage situations, more competitive situations, stadium environments, Alex took a step and separated himself from the rest of that group as well.”

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Over five seasons with the program, Herrera has never missed an in-game kick, albeit with a small sample size, connecting on all four of his extra point attempts over the past two seasons. A strong leader in the classroom, he has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times between 2020-23 and was named the recipient of the 2024 President’s Outstanding Student-Athlete Award.

Despite the relative continuity in the kicking room for the Gamecocks, a place kicker from South Carolina hasn’t finished 30th or better nationally in field goals made in a season since 2015, when Elliott Fry was tied for 24th with 20 field goals made.

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Herrera, who has already graduated, is the veteran leader of the group of specialists under new special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, and should provide a steadying, calming force to a job that is as much mental preparation as physical.

“You would expect that from him, as he’s an older guy that’s been around here for a while and has played in games,” Beamer said. “There should be a quiet confidence with him, not to mention he’s a talented kicker.”

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