On the same night Clemson whipped up on Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl, an opportunity of a lifetime opened up for Andy Teasdall.

Just moments after the Tigers’ 40-6 victory over the Sooners in Orlando, punter Bradley Pinion announced to the world, via twitter, he was declaring for the NFL Draft. Pinion was off to live his dream as a punter in the NFL, while his decision opened the door for Teasdall, who had been waiting for two years to show the coaches what he could do.

“When that door opens, you have to take advantage of it,” the junior said.

With the door wide open for anyone to step inside, Teasdall quickly jumped in and closed the door on everyone else. He had a great spring and by the end of the 15 practices he was listed No. 1 on the depth chart.

“We don’t have any concerns with punting at all,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Teasdall is our guy. He has been really consistent.”

Teasdall carried the momentum from the spring into the summer where he said he did not take the opportunity he was given lightly.

“I was really confident in what I had done,” he said. “In the summer I worked on getting stronger, faster and becoming the best athlete possible. I was really confident going into camp and I look forward to carrying that confidence into the season.”

After a rough start to camp, Teasdall has settled in and has assumed the position he was awarded in the spring. In last week’s scrimmage, he nailed two 50-yard punts with hang times that registered near or above five seconds. He also put on a clinic in this past Monday’s practice when he nailed two punts inside the five-yard line.

“The coffin corner is more of a finesse punt, trying to get the defense down as close to the goal line as possible. That is something I learned from Bradley Pinion. Obviously, he executed it very well,” Teasdall said. “It is just working on your own craft to get those different leg swings and holding the ball differently.”

But Teasdall isn’t just being rewarded this year with playing time. Earlier in the week, Swinney called Teasdall, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and long snapper Jim Brown in front of the team and awarded them with something all walk-ons desire to have – a scholarship.

“I was hoping for it, I wanted it. I guess I was kind of expecting it,” Teasdall said. “But when he called me up at that point, I was not expecting it then. So that was pretty cool and a really special moment.

“I saw the video they had and they were filming it, I thought, ‘This will be with me the rest of my life.’ It was a pretty special moment. It was special. To have Hunter Renfrow and Jim Brown on there as well, it was really cool.”

The best part for Teasdall was when he called his parents to tell them the news.

“I’m a terrible liar. Nick Schuessler told me to act like something bad had happened,” Teasdall said smiling.

“It was not as funny as it could have been. It was good, though. Mom and Dad were proud. It feels good to be rewarded.”

And it feels good to not only have a scholarship, but to be a starter, too.

“Contributing on the field is great, but being a good teammate is awesome, too. That’s what I have been doing the past two years before this. But to take the financial issue out of the way is certainly something to be proud of. I understand it is a privilege,” Teasdall said.