During his weekly Tuesday press conference, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney updated the status of a specialist who has been dealing with an injury.

Kicker Robert Gunn III has been battling a quad strain, but has been given the green light to kick field goals in practice again, according to Swinney.

“Yeah, he’s back. So, it’s good to see him back out there because I hadn’t seen him kick a field goal in a few weeks,” Swinney said. “So, he’s back out, and he actually started last Wednesday. I think that was the first time they started letting him kick again, field goals. So, good to see him back out there, and hopefully we’ll be able to create a little competition there and have a little more confidence moving forward.”

A redshirt freshman, Gunn struggled as the placekicker early in the season, as he missed three of his four field goal attempts and one extra point before being replaced by graduate student Jonathan Weitz, who Swinney called back to practice from his Charleston home the Sunday before the Florida State game on Sept. 23.

Gunn has just kicked off for the Tigers since Weitz’s return to campus. He had not been kicking in practice and Swinney said Tuesday that Gunn’s injury occurred simultaneously with when Clemson got Weitz.

“It was kind of like simultaneous, like that week,” Swinney said of Gunn’s injury. “He didn’t kick that whole week that we got Weitz. He had the quad strain, so that kind of I guess started a little bit before. He didn’t tell anybody or whatever and then he had a little swelling, and so he didn’t kick at all that week, just on gameday. Florida State, just kicked on gameday, kicked off, and then he didn’t kick Syracuse, didn’t kick Wake Forest, all during the week.

“So, he’s been working on that quad strain, and so last week they cut him loose from getting back out there and start getting some practice reps and things like that as far as swelling in his thigh going down.”

We have just added a new special to our store. Get the Two Pack of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 and 2023 classes and save $75. Thanks for your support of Clemson football.