The best word to describe Clemson’s special teams in 2023 would be a venture. It ended up being a storybook ending at kicker, but that’s not the lens we look through when grading the group as a whole.

Coming into the season, Robert Gunn was the kicker with virtually no competition. That ended up backfiring as he went 1-4 over the first three games, sparking Dabo Swinney to call Jonathan Weitz and bring him into town from Charleston.

Weitz wasn’t perfect by any means, going 14-20 on field goals, including a crucial miss against Florida State or that game may have ended in a different result. Still, he went on to be the hero at South Carolina before doing the same in the Gator Bowl, including a doink that went in off the crossbar, only fitting for that chaotic game.

That’s why kicker can’t get a high grade. It took until the last couple weeks to truly remedy the issue and that’s a massive concern. Good news is the punter was often consistent.

Aidan Swanson had an average of 43.7 yards this season including 28 punts that pinned opposing offenses inside the 20. That’s all you can ask for out of a punter. It’s not like he was putting it at the five-yard line every time, but that’s fine.

Where Clemson was a non-factor in 2023 was in the return game. The one solace I will give here is the injuries sustained to the wide receiver room stopped the Tigers from rolling out with its best returner.

Hamp Greene ended up the guy because he had sure hands. He averaged just 6.3 yards per punt return while the kick return game did have some life late in the season like Will Shipley’s 60-yard return in the Gator Bowl.

Splash plays just weren’t a normal occurrence for this group, but the late season improvements heavily influence its final grade.

Final Special Teams Grade: C-