Remember when C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford took a punt, made one guy miss and then were off to the races? Remember when Justin Miller, Derrick Hamilton and Brian Mance were some of the top punt return specialist in the ACC?

Remember Donnell Woolford, Darnell Stephens and Robert O’Neal back in the day? They brought excitement on every Clemson punt return from 1986-‘92. But those days have since left Clemson.

In Spiller’s senior year, the Tigers averaged 14.4 yards per return and then a respectable 11.0 in 2010. But since then their best average came in 2013 when they averaged 8.3 yards on 29 returns. Things have gotten so bad in that area that Clemson became known as “Fair-Catch U” because it seemed as if former specialist Adam Humphries had more fair catches then returns in his career.

Despite returning a punt 72 yards for a touchdown last season—the Tigers’ first since Spiller and Ford each did it in 2009—Humphries averaged 5.7 yards on 31 returns.

“We have put a big emphasis on it with the guys that will make up that team,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.

If skill set is any indication on how much of an emphasis Clemson has placed on returning punts, then the Tigers fortunes are about to change. Wide receivers Artavis Scott and Germone Hopper as well as true freshman playmaker Ray Ray McCloud will handle all punt returns. All three guys are explosive, can out run defenders and have a little wiggle to them.

“We have three guys that want to do it and are really excited about it,” Swinney said.

Swinney indicated McCloud has really been good in practice, while Scott and Hopper have picked up where they left off in the spring. Both of them had big returns in the spring game, including a 31-yard return by Hooper.

“All three of those guys are going to have opportunities early in the season,” Swinney said. “We don’t have any preseason games and you can only do so much in practice, and you don’t have people in the stands. We have to try take it to the next level and get some game experience for those guys.”