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Clemson Football Spring Game Primer: Special Teams

By John Chancey

Oct 15, 2021; Syracuse, New York, USA; Clemson Tigers place kicker B.T. Potter (29) watches his field goal with wide receiver Will Swinney (22) against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2021; Syracuse, New York, USA; Clemson Tigers place kicker B.T. Potter (29) watches his field goal with wide receiver Will Swinney (22) against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Clemson Tigers will play their spring football game on Saturday, April 9 at 1 p.m.  The game will be televised by the ACC Network.

When: April 9 at 1 PM, Clemson Memorial Stadium

Position Coach: Mike Reed – Coach Reed has added special teams coach to his title. He needs to find a punter to replace the longtime presence of Will Spiers, who has exhausted his eligibility. Luckily, he has this guy named BT Potter. While we may have joked in the past he was related to Harry Potter, after hearing early feedback from observers about the punting competition, he might have the wizarding gene after all.

Who is playing: BT Potter (+SR), Aidan Swanson (JR-RS), Jackson Smith (FR-Early Enrollee)

Who isn’t playing: Robert Gunn (FR-Early Enrollee)

What we can expect for the spring game: Here is one you might not have seen coming: Potter may have more punts in the spring game than field goal attempts and extra point attempts combined. Since there is little doubt that he will be the primary kicker, Reed is likely to give several kicking opportunities to Swanson and the walk-ons so they can get valuable experience. The real competition is at punter, where Potter, Swanson and Smith are vying for the job.

Most of the players Clemson expects to use in the return game, like Will Shipley, Kobe Pace & Will Turner are sitting spring out while recovering from injuries and surgeries. We can expect to see a wide variety of players returning kicks and punts while they are out. Knowing Coach Swinney’s knack for entertaining the spring game crowd, we might even see a complete oddball returning a kick. My money is on Luke Price.

What we can expect for next season: We thought we knew Potter well. He’s been here so long he’s in the ‘Hunter Renfrow Club’. He has the best hair on the team. What we didn’t know is that he is a pretty good punter. We assumed the job would go to Swanson or Smith, but what we are hearing suggests Potter may be in the lead right now.

Time will tell if the staff wants to put that much on his shoulders, but it certainly would increase his appeal to the NFL to be able to handle multiple jobs. With his experience, Potter has low-key become one of the veteran leaders on this team. His personality resonates with his teammates and the fans.

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