Clemson Football’s 10 Most Valuable Players in 2014

Oct 25, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers fans during the Tiger Walk prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Some would surely question in the inclusion of a kicker on a list of team MVPs. Even more might question the inclusion of Ammon Lakip, specifically, on this list.

That is largely because many Clemson football fans wrote Lakip off way back in September, after the Tigers’ loss to the Florida State Seminoles. Lakip missed two field goal attempts in that contest, when even three more points might have allowed Clemson to escape Tallahassee with the win.

But after that game, Lakip improved dramatically. In the seven following games the showdown with Florida State, Lakip missed only one field goal attempt—a 48-yarder against NC State.

In the final ten games of the season, Lakip made 17-of-21 field goal tries and three of the four misses were from beyond 40 yards. Lakip was practically automatic on anything short of 40 yards.

When his numbers are put into context it is clear that Lakip was absolutely vital to the Tigers’ success this season.

Clemson won most of their games by dominating on defense and scoring just enough to leave with a victory. With the way the Tigers’ offense struggled at times, winning 10 games would have been impossible without Lakip providing points consistently when drives stalled short of the end zone.

Lakip was Clemson’s leading scorer in 2014, contributing 106 total points. That’s more than twice the points contributed by the second-leading scorer, Artavis Scott (48 points).

The truth is, Lakip was one of Clemson’s most important players this season. Leaving him off this list would be a mistake.

Next: Clemson Football's MVPs: No. 8