Clemson’s cannon-legged weapon, B.T. Potter, sat down with the media this week after passing Chandler Catanzaro to become the program’s all-time leading scorer among kickers this past weekend at Florida State.
Catanzaro dominated Clemson’s special teams from 2010-13 with a success rate of 98.1% on extra points, 81.7% on field goals and 404 total points over his career.
Potter spoke of how Catanzaro had a huge influence on him when he was younger, and how it’s so surreal to get the opportunity to learn from him and pass his record.
“It means a lot. It’s crazy to think about,” Potter said. “I remember being here my freshman year and thinking about that, and I just never thought that it would ever happen, so just being up there with some of those names is incredible.
“I’ve gotten to talk to (Catanzaro) a few times and kick with him. We have the same kicking coach from back home, so he is a really good dude. I remember looking up to him whenever I was young, so it’s just unbelievable that I got to eventually meet him and kick with him because he was a huge role model for me.”
Throughout the first seven games of this season, Potter has only missed two field goals, and he has only ever missed one extra point in his time with the Tigers. Potter said that his preparation weekly does not change no matter the circumstances nor the opponent, which he attributes a lot of his confidence and success on the field to.
“It’s all about preparation, so I just have confidence going into the game because of how I prepare during the week, and I feel like if I prepare well that it will transfer over pretty good,” he said.
However, the weather and field conditions in each game can change Potter’s confidence slightly. Whether it’s raining or extra windy, he just tries to keep that in mind throughout the game to know how far he feels comfortable kicking from.
“It changes each week,” he said. “So in Florida State, there was no wind, and their grass was really good, so I felt like 60 (yards) and in, but maybe this weekend it might be really windy. Sometimes I’ll tell them 52 one way and 57 the other, and it just depends on the wind and what is going on. My goal is to be from 55 and in. I think I should be able to handle that wherever we go.”
Despite it being Potter’s final go-round with the Tigers, he is confident in leaving the job in the hands and feet of Robert Gunn III, a freshman from Seminole, Florida.
“He’s going to have a great career here,” Potter said. “He’s really strong, and I think he’s grown a lot since he’s been here. But he’ll definitely do good things for sure.”
