5 Things I am watching in the Clemson Football Spring Game

The Battle of the Kickers

I’m not going to lie: I wrote off Robert Gunn as anything but a competitor for the kickoff duties a while back. I presumed that it was ride-or-die with Nolan Hauser as the placekicker.

I haven’t heard anything that makes me think that expectation will be any different than how we see them trot out to begin the 2024 season, but for the time being, it appears both young men are being given the chance to compete for the chance to take field goals and extra points.

Hauser will likely handle all kicking duties for one side and Gunn will handle all duties for the other. Unfortunately, in a real-game situation (which is what we get in the Clemson Spring Game), the kickers are at the mercy of their teammates. How many opportunities they get will depend on the circumstances.

In Dabo I trust. Coach Swinney always has a little fun twist up his sleeve for the Spring Game. If both kickers don’t get plenty of opportunities during the game, I fully expect a kickoff during the break between the third and fourth quarters.

Line them up at the 25-yard line and kick away. If they both make them, back them up 5 yards and do it again until someone misses.

We also have to remember that what we see in the Spring Game won’t be the deciding factor. We saw Liam Boyd hit a big field goal in the 2023 game. When the season kicked off, he was on North Carolina’s roster.

Next: The Offensive Line