CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney said he had no intentions of going to the transfer portal and getting a punter. And if someone has a problem with that then they can blame him.

“If we are terrible, y’all can all blame me. ‘Boy! We are bad.’ Y’all can all blame me,” Swinney said Tuesday during Clemson Football’s Annual Media Outing at the Allen Reeves Football Complex.

The Tigers are having to replace Aidan Swanson, who started the last three seasons. Swanson averaged 42.2 yards per punt over his six-year career, including 67 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

Jack Smith and Will McCune are battling to win the job, while kickoff specialist Robert Gunn, III is also in the mix for the starting punter position.

“If Jack or McCune, if one of them does not get it done, it won’t be no one but Swinney’s fault. Get the headlines ready,” Swinney said. “But if they turn out, then write them too. It goes both ways.”

Swinney said he did not feel the need to go get a punter out of the portal because he believes he already has his punter on campus.

“Just like I did not consider taking a portal quarterback last year because I believed in [Cade] Klubnik and CV (Christopher Vizzina). I believe in Jack and I believe in McCune, and we are going to see what happens,” Swinney said. “Maybe Robert Gunn shows up and wins it. I don’t know, but I believe in the guys we got.”

Clemson fans will find out soon enough. The Tigers open fall camp on July 31, and the season begins on Aug. 30 against LSU at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.