Spiers starting, but job is not safe

When the Tigers' first depth chart was released Saturday one position battle may have a starter listed, but the battle may not be settled.

CLEMSON — When the Tigers' first depth chart was released Saturday one position battle may have a starter listed, but the battle may not be settled. 

The Tigers' starting punter job was won by former Calhoun Academy standout Will Spiers, but after an 'OK' fall camp his job is definitely not safe.

“Will has been OK," special teams coordinator Danny Pearman said. "Aidan’s (Swanson) pushed him and (Steven) Sawicki’s pushed him, that’s the three-way competition there. Some days he comes out the victor and other days he comes out the loser. It’s been a good competition there.”

Spiers, a junior who Swinney has credited for capitalizing on momentum created by his strong finish to the 2018 season. Spiers posted his second-highest single-game punting average of the 2018 season in the national championship against Alabama, including an early 51-yarder that flipped field position and set up Terrell’s pick-six on the ensuing Alabama drive.

However, the emergence of Sawicki also offers punting experience, having punted 122 times at North Carolina A&T prior to transferring to Clemson. And true freshman Swanson, who joined the Tigers in the spring, have Pearman thinking about a unique situation in which multiple specialists are used in games. 

At least until one can separate themselves from the pack.

“I could see multiple snappers and multiple punters play," Pearman said. "We’ve got a really young team. You’re eighty freshman and sophomores out of the one hundred twenty players so you’re dealing with a whole lot of jobs not just specialist jobs. In all of special teams you can see a lot of new faces, in particular the specialist themselves. I think you’ve got a good combination with Will (Spiers), Steven (Sawicki) and Aidan Swanson. All three of those kids we’ll make a decision on over the next couple of weeks.”

Including an onside kick return by Diondre Overton credited as a return, six different players returned at least one kickoff or punt for Clemson in 2018, and all six of those players return in 2019. 

Derion Kendrick led Clemson in kickoff returns (13) and kickoff return yards (299) last year. Cornell Powell (117 yards on four returns) was the team’s primary kickoff returner for the first four games of the season prior to taking a redshirt, and Amari Rodgers and Lyn-J Dixon both contributed one kickoff return each

On punts, Rodgers set a Clemson single-season record in 2018 with 38 punt returns and finished one-yard shy of producing the 10 season with 300 punt return yards in Clemson history. He helped secure Clemson’s division-clinching win at Boston College with a 58-yard punt return touchdown. Will Swinney also returned three punts for Clemson in 2018.

While Rodgers has been sidelined after suffering an ACL tear this spring, the job of returning the punts will fall to Kendrick. Joining Kendrick on kickoff returns will be true freshman Joe Ngata. 

But a benefit to Rodgers' injury was an opportunity to see what the other players could do in the return game.

“One of the blessings of having Amari out is that we’ve had to go out and look at some of these freshman kids," Pearman said. "Will Swinney has done a really good job of catching the ball and possessing the ball. Will Brown has been possessing the ball. Some of the other kids we’ve been looking at are Michel Dukes and (Andrew) Booth. Those are three kids we’ve really worked with because those injuries give them opportunity. Kickoff return is kind of the same animal.”

That 'different animal' shows up when you put a young player, not in front of his teammates in a practice or scrimmage, but when you have 80,000 fans and/or opponents screaming.

“Everybody thinks they can catch it then ‘poof,’ you’re out there in front of eighty thousand people," Pearman said. "It’s kind of like how everyone thinks they can putt it but there’s a big difference in Top Golf and actual golf. If somebody is going to punt it or kick to us we want the ball and we need to be able to make the decisions that at worst, we’re going to come up with the ball.”