Clemson Position 360: Special Teams

Aidan Swanson is back for his sixth season as a Clemson punter.

Ryan Kantor - Contributor - Thursday, August 01 2024

We have reviewed ten position groups for the Clemson Tigers and now we end with a wild card – special teams. Since the departure of Sammy Watkins, Clemson hasn’t made a ton of noise on the kick and punt returns (in part due to rule changes), and punting has been up-and-down through the years. Placekicking, though, had been steady for quite a while under BT Potter. His departure and the transfer of walk-on Liam Boyd (to UNC) made last year quite an adventure.

2023 Performance

Last season, Clemson finished 60th in field goals made (15) and 114th in field goal percentage (62.5%). They tied for the lowest field goal percentage in the ACC (with Syracuse) but had three more misses. In fact, their nine field goals missed tied Ohio for the most in the nation.

That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. Robert Gunn III was a placekicker Clemson invested a scholarship in back in 2022. With Potter returning thanks to a COVID waiver, he redshirted. Following Potter’s departure, Gunn became the presumptive starter in 2023. Although there were positive reports about Liam Boyd during camp, he transferred to North Carolina (where he handled kickoff duties), leaving Gunn without serious competition. This didn’t seem too troublesome until Gunn missed three of his first four attempts, including two in the opening loss to Duke.

In desperation, Clemson brought back Jonathan Weitz, a largely unknown walk-on who attempted zero field goals in his prior four seasons. Weitz immediately became the starting kicker, relegating Gunn to kickoff duty only.

In Weitz’s first game on the team, Swinney called on him for a critical kick vs. Florida State, but he missed. In his first eight games, he was just 8/14 (57%). That’s not how his story ends, though. In the Palmetto Bowl, Clemson’s offense couldn’t find the end zone, and Weitz was responsible for 10 of the game’s 23 total points, going 3-3 on field goals and making a PAT. He then matched that performance with another 3-3 showing in the Gator Bowl to end his career on a high note.

While it ended well, Clemson’s placekicking left a lot to be desired for the season as a whole. Weitz finished 14-20, and the team finished 15-24.

Aidan Swanson gives Clemson a veteran punter. The Tigers averaged 43.2 yards per punt, good for 43rd nationally.

In the return game, Clemson only returned 12 kickoffs. They returned more punts (23) but only averaged 7.9 yards per punt return.

Departures & Additions

After a wild eight-game return as the starting kicker, Weitz is gone (this time for real). True freshman Nolan Hauser (pronounced HOO-zer) enters and could start immediately if Gunn – who also returns – can’t hone his accuracy as a placekicker.

2024 Expectations

Clemson has invested two scholarships in placekickers and needs one to come through and elevate their kicking game from last year’s sub-par performance. Gunn has plenty of power in his leg and is a solid option for kickoffs, but he will have to quickly become more accurate to hold off Hauser. Hauser went 2-2 in the spring game, making 29 and 48-yard field goals. He may be the favorite to take over and stabilize the position for Clemson.

At punter, Swanson returns for his sixth season and should give Clemson a high floor with some opportunity for continued growth.

Touchbacks and kneels will dominate the kickoff return game for Clemson, but punt returns could be interesting. Antonio Williams and Tyler Brown should be favorites for the punt return role. Their good hands and quickness in short spaces would serve either one well in that role. It would be exciting to see Clemson make some big plays on punt returns and settle for fewer fair catches.

Overall, it seems likely that the placekicking will improve, punting will marginally improve, and the return game will remain mostly an afterthought with a chance for a little more explosiveness from time to time.