Returning for his fifth year of eligibility, placekicker B.T. Potter is one of the oldest guys on Clemson’s roster who has had a front-row seat to the growth of the program.
“I remember coming in my freshman year, and the guy who led me was Greg Huegel,” Potter said of the former Clemson standout kicker, “and I always looked at him like a big brother and so it’s been pretty cool to take on that role and just see everybody grow up really.”
The 2021 season was Potter’s best to date, connecting on a career-high 80.8 percent of his field goals (minimum 21 attempts), but now Potter will look to leverage his craft with a shot at punter. He admittedly says he wasn’t very good at punting in high school but wants to become a more versatile player with a potential future playing professionally.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Potter said. “I haven’t really ever focused on it. I’d say in January, I was like I might as well start trying, and I’ve done alright so far. I want to make it to the NFL Draft and so I think this will help me get a shot there.”
This is the first time Potter has really been practicing punting on a regular basis, saying he was always the third or fourth guy in years past.
“Freshman year I was traveling and I was the backup punter, except Hunter Renfrow went in over me when we were at Wake Forest,” Potter joked. “I was a backup when we traveled but this is the first time I’ve been doing it every day.”
Potter is happy with his performance in practice thus far, but has found that his biggest challenge is remaining consistent.
“I knew I could hit a big ball but I couldn’t do it over and over,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on, really learning what it takes to hit a consistently good punt. I’ll hit a good hang time but it won’t go far enough and then I’ll hit one that’s not a great hang time but it’ll go far enough. I’m focusing on my drop and looking at the ball, which sounds basic, but it’s the same thing with kicking. If I’m not looking at the ball I’m not gonna hit it well. I’ve been working on hitting it downfield instead of just straight up.”
On his decision to return for his final year of eligibility, Potter sought advice from previous punter Will Spiers, who exhausted his eligibility after the 2021 season.
“I guess it was over Thanksgiving, me and Will Spiers were talking, and I asked him if he had any regrets about coming back and he said he didn’t,” Potter said. “I think it just kind of hit me that the real world is out there, and there’s only so many years I can play college football and I can’t complain one bit about where I’m at.”
Potter is currently working toward his master’s degree in athletic leadership and will graduate again in December.
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