CLEMSON – Clemson’s special teams unit was certainly a mixed bag in 2024.

At times, the unit was downright bad. Other times, not so much.

Make no mistake, freshman kicker Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard field goal to beat SMU as time expired in the ACC Championship Game that sent the Tigers to the College Football Playoff won’t be forgotten anytime soon. However, neither will the protection issues that led to six of his kicks being blocked during the regular season.

Fortunately, Clemson already knows it has a placekicker it can rely on. Hauser has already proven he has ice water in his veins and that’s impressive for a freshman. Get the protection issues sorted out, and there is no reason to think they won’t over the offseason, and the kicking game should be a strength in 2025.

Kickoff specialist Robert Gunn also returns, giving Clemson one more weapon in the kicking game.

The biggest question resides in the punting game. After an up and down final season, Aidan Swanson will move on, leaving the job wide open.

Jack Smith has been patiently waiting his turn for the past three seasons and should have every opportunity to win the job in the spring. His leg has never been in question, as he is 6-foot-5 and 245-pounds. It’s the consistency that’s been lacking. Smith has five career punts, averaging just 35.8 yards per kick.

The upcoming spring feels like it might be now or never. If he can’t lock up the job, it’s highly possible Dabo Swinney looks to the portal to find his next punter. It’s such a critical part of the game, and the Tigers need more than what they got from the position in 2024.

Will McCune is a walk-on punter that joined the team ahead of the 2024 season. He spent his first two seasons at Charleston Southern. He once had a 72-yard punt in high school.

Another area the team could use some improvement is in the return game. It’s an area the Tigers just haven’t seemed to get a ton of production from in recent years. Antonio Williams returned 17 punts last season, averaging 9.6 yards per return. His longest was 25 yards.

While Williams was about as reliable as they come when it comes to fielding the ball cleanly, it felt like the staff was content playing it safe at times, rather than being aggressive in the return game.