Potter expected to step up, Spiers has competition

Gone is placekicker Greg Huegel, who exited Clemson ranked first in school history in career extra points (217) and second in career scoring (379 points), as well as Alex Spence, who served as the primary kicker in 2017 after losing Huegel to injury.

Gone is placekicker Greg Huegel, who exited Clemson ranked first in school history in career extra points (217) and second in career scoring (379 points), as well as Alex Spence, who served as the primary kicker in 2017 after losing Huegel to injury. 

Among those hoping to secure the role moving forward are sophomore B.T. Potter (Rock Hill, S.C.) and senior Steven Sawicki (Fayetteville, N.C.), who hit his lone field goal attempt in 2018, a 24-yarder at Florida State.

Potter is the team’s incumbent kickoff specialist after making an immediate impact in that role in 2018. His 79 touchbacks on 114 kickoffs a season ago ranked third in the country and more than doubled the single-season touchback output by any other kickoff specialist in the Swinney era.

Clemson has multiple options at punter, including returning starter Will Spiers (Cameron, S.C.), a junior who Swinney has credited for capitalizing on momentum created by his strong finish to the 2018 season. 

Spiers posted his second-highest single-game punting average of the 2018 season in the national championship against Alabama, including an early 51-yarder that flipped field position and set up Terrell’s pick-six on the ensuing Alabama drive. 

Sawicki also offers punting experience, having punted 122 times at North Carolina A&T prior to transferring to Clemson. True freshman Aidan Swanson (Tampa, Fla.) now joins the group after finishing his prep career at IMG Academy.

The field goal and punting units will benefit from the return of the battery of holder Will Swinney and long snapper Patrick Phibbs (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Phibbs served as the team’s snapper on field goals and PATs in 2018 and could add snapping responsibilities for punts in 2019.

Including an onside kick return by Diondre Overton credited as a return, six different players returned at least one kickoff or punt for Clemson in 2018, and all six of those players return in 2019. Derion Kendrick led Clemson in kickoff returns (13) and kickoff return yards (299) last year. Cornell Powell (117 yards on four returns) was the team’s primary kickoff returner for the first four games of the season prior to taking a redshirt, and Amari Rodgers and Lyn-J Dixon both contributed one kickoff return each

On punts, Rodgers set a Clemson single-season record in 2018 with 38 punt returns and finished one-yard shy of producing the 10 season with 300 punt return yards in Clemson history. He helped secure Clemson’s division-clinching win at Boston College with a 58-yard punt return touchdown. Will Swinney also returned three punts for Clemson in 2018.