The battle to be Clemson’s placekicker in 2023 appears to be over.
Liam Boyd, who was competing with Robert Gunn III in the spring, entered the NCAA transfer portal on Monday.
I am forever grateful to Coach Swinney and Coach Spiers for giving me the opportunity to play for Clemson. I want to thank the Clemson football coaches, staff and my teammates for supporting me on my journey. After a lot of thought, I have decided to enter the transfer portal.
— Liam Boyd (@liamboyd37) May 1, 2023
Boyd nailed an impressive 51-yard field goal during Clemson’s spring game and looked like the Tigers’ best option on that one day.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney recently said that Boyd and Gunn had differentiated themselves from the rest of the kickers and would take their battle for the starting role into the fall.
That is no longer.
It’s important to note that Gunn is on scholarship. The Tigers have a current crunch in that department right now. Following the departure of defensive back Malcolm Greene, Clemson is still two scholarships over the 85-man limit.
It’s unlikely that Boyd, a walk-on, was going to be placed on scholarship based on those numbers unless several more players were to exit in the summer.
Gunn, a redshirt freshman who played in three games last season, has one career PAT but no field goals in live action. He has recorded touchbacks on all five of his kickoff attempts.
The Pinellas Park, Fla., native now heads into the fall as Clemson’s only and primary kicking option.
BT Potter, one of the school’s all-time leaders, ran out of eligibility in 2022 and was signed as by the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend to an undrafted free-agent deal.
Other placekickers listed on the Clemson roster include Aidan Swanson, Quinn Castner and Hogan Mortan. Swanson, who’s in a battle with Jack Smith for the starting punter role and has two career PATs, is the only other specialist who’s seen a ball go through the uprights.
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