Clemson, S.C. — Five games into Rich Bisaccia return, Clemson special teams have become one of the most dependable parts of a team still searching for consistency on offense.
Bisaccia came back to Clemson with more than four decades of coaching experience and 24 seasons directing special teams in the NFL. Head coach Dabo Swinney said when Bisaccia was hired in March that he was as good a special teams coach as there has been in the NFL for a long time.
The clearest breakthrough came at California when Bryant Wesco returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with Clemson and Cal tied at 10 late in the third quarter. It was Clemson first punt return touchdown since Amari Rodgers in 2018 and helped turn the game into a 24-10 win. Wesco later earned ACC Specialist of the Week.
Nolan Hauser has been just as central. He is 12-of-13 on field-goal attempts through five games and won ACC Specialist of the Week after making five kicks against Georgia Southern, then won it again after North Carolina. Wesco made it three consecutive weeks with a Clemson specialist honor, a program first.
Through five games Clemson is averaging 15.4 yards per punt return after averaging 7.3 last season, and kickoff returns are up from 20.5 yards to 23.4. ESPN SP-plus ratings after the open week still rank Clemson special teams No. 14 nationally even while the offense sits near the bottom of the chart.
