CLEMSON — It was only a joke at the time, but now it has become a reality.

When former Clemson kicker Liam Boyd announced he was entering the transfer portal last May, BT Potter and Jonathan Weitz joked about what Weitz might do if the Tigers come calling should placekicking issues arise at Clemson.

Potter, of course, was in the NFL trying to make it onto the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster. He exhausted all of his eligibility, but Weitz still had his COVID year if he wanted to use it.

“I think back then, me and Jon even talked about it. I was like, ‘Dude, what would you do if they called you?’ It was just kind of a joke,” Potter said to The Clemson Insider on Tuesday. “I did not really think about it over the summer, but through the last couple of games I got to thinking.

“I did not say anything to Jon. I did not want to bring it up to him. But I talked to some of the other guys I used to play with, and I said, ‘We have to keep an eye on it. Something might happen.’”

Potter, who is Clemson’s all-time leader in field goals and scored more points than any kicker in Clemson history, started to pay attention to the Tigers’ kicking issues after Robert Gunn had both of his field attempts blocked in the Duke game.

Gunn then badly missed a 31-yard field goal in last week’s Florida Atlantic game, as well as an extra point.

On Sunday, head coach Dabo Swinney learned Weitz was enrolled at Clemson as a graduate student and had one year of eligibility remaining.

“I guess it was Sunday morning when Jon called me and said, ‘You will not believe who just texted me.’ I was like, ‘No way, what happened?!’ He told me Coach Swinney texted him and asked him if he had any eligibility left,” Potter recalled about the conversation.

Potter encouraged Weitz to give it a shot, and as we all know, he did.

Swinney said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday that Weitz will be the Tigers’ field goal kicker when they host No. 4 Florida State on Saturday. Gunn will handle long kicks and kickoff duties.

Weitz, a former walk-on, had been on Clemson’s roster the previous four years, while appearing in seven games. After he graduated, he moved back to his hometown of Charleston where he has worked out while taking graduate courses online to earn his master’s degree.

“I don’t think he was kicking much,” Potter said about his good friend. “We kicked together, probably back in April just messing around. But the other day I was talking to him, and he was saying he works out every day. I was like, ‘Geeze dude. You got to really love working out, to work out every day.’ I guess that turned out being good for him because he is in shape.”

Potter went to practice on Monday to see his old friend and tease him a bit, and help, of course. He said Weitz is in the best shape he has seen him in.

“There is a thing, such as kicking shape, but I think being back for a week, he will definitely be fine,” Potter said. “Watching him kick yesterday, it is like he never stopped, honestly.”

Swinney said Weitz made seven of his eight kicks, while going through the acclimation process so he can play in Saturday’s game.

“He was hitting it pretty good,” Potter said.

Potter says Weitz has not tested his range just yet, but that is something they normally do during Tuesday’s practice. However, Weitz has really good range.

As Potter’s backup the last two years, Weitz made field goals as far as 52 yards out in practice.

“Whenever I was there, he was a really good kicker,” Potter said. “He is very accurate. I don’t think he is a 60-yarder, 65-yard kind of guy, but he is not a weak kicker. I remember kicking with him when I was here, and he is accurate. He can knock it down the middle, so he is good.”

And that is what the Tigers need more than anything.

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