Dabo Swinney names Nolan Hauser starting kicker for matchup vs. No. 1 Georgia

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has named true freshman Nolan Hauser as the Tigers starting kicker for Saturday’s matchup against No. 1 Georgia.

Hauser beat out redshirt sophomore Robert Gunn for the starting job. The two battled throughout fall camp, with Hauser coming out on top.

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“Hauser’s going to be the kicker. He’s won the job in camp,” Dabo Swinney said during Tuesday’s press conference.

Swinney added that the decision was fairly easy based off of what he saw in practice, although he acknowledged that the competition will continue into the season.

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“More go through the upright than the other guy, you know,” Dabo Swinney said of what went into the decision. “I mean it’s just that simple. It’s not subjective. It’s cut and dry. And so he just had a… and again, that could change next week. It could change in two weeks. But he clearly won the job. It’s not like it was tied. I mean it was for a while, but he separated. So he’s done a great job and he’s earned the opportunity to start in this game.”

Nolan Hauser ended his high school career as the national record-holder for career field goals made with 66. Swinney isn’t concerned about putting the true freshman out there against the top-ranked Bulldogs.

“All you can go by is what you see at practice. He’s earned the right to go do it,” Dabo Swinney said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a true freshman or a fifth-year walk-on, you can only go by what you see. He’s around right at 80-plus percent and has had a good camp. He’s a confident kid. … We’ve tried to create as much pressure on him as we can and he’s responded.” 

While Robert Gunn will not be the starting kicker for the Tigers, he did when the kickoff job and will still be a contributor.

“Robert will be our kickoff guy, so they’ll both play,” Swinney said.

Clemson is coming off of a 9-4 season that included winning its final five games to end 2023. The Tigers are ranked No. 14 heading into the season.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs have won two of the past three national titles and have only lost two games in the past three years.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are expected to compete for a national title once again this fall behind quarterback Carson Beck and a loaded roster.