Jonathan Weitz says key role in beating the Gamecocks is "a dream come true"

Jonathan Weitz hit three field goals all longer than his career-best at the college level going into the game.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Tue Nov 28 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Graduate kicker and Charleston native Jonathan Weitz played an integral in his Tigers getting revenge in the rivalry series with South Carolina on Saturday, making all three of his field goals from 42, 49 and 50 yards, respectively. It was a game that's been on his mind.

“It’s just special to get these opportunities, especially after sitting behind such a great kicker in BT (Potter) and what happened last year. A second opportunity (after) losing to them, it’s a dream come true, and I was thinking about that one pretty much up until I got the call from Coach Swinney to come back,” Weitz said, whose season-best field goal going into the game was from 41 yards out. “I told the seniors, I played in National Championships and was on teams in the playoffs and lost those games and the one that I remembered was walking off the field after losing to the Gamecocks. So to come here and do this, it’s special.”

Weitz’s return to Clemson football just before starting a career off the football field in New York City has been well-documented, as well as his rocky start back on it.

In his first three games as the starting kicker, he made three out of six field goals, putting the Tigers at 4-for-9 on the season to that point. Weitz continued to have an up-and-down season as he finished with only three games where he made all of his field goal attempts, including the victory against the Gamecocks. However, he says that the adversity he and the rest of the team faced throughout the season made them stronger and helped him to finish his regular season collegiate career with his best performance.

“I think adversity brings out your true colors, and there’s a lot of adversity for me this season. It wasn’t all roses and blossoms and flowers,” Weitz said, who was named the ACC's specialist of the week for his three field goal effort. “I would say that this moment kind of looks like a resurrection, just feels good to finally put a good game together and really make a difference and come out on top.”

His ten points against the Gamecocks also propelled him to 61 points on the season, making it four seasons in a row that the kicker has led Clemson in points. Weitz said that while in Charleston this offseason, the loss to South Carolina last year was the one game that truly stuck with him. If someone had told him his 10 points would be the difference in the game for the Tigers, he would not have believed it.

“Our defense played lights out. Our punt team made a huge difference. So, there’s a lot of things that went into it,” Weitz said. “But, if you would have told me that before I got the call from Coach Swinney when I was hanging out in Charleston with my friends, I would have laughed.”