CLEMSON, S.C. — The player whose walk-off field goal sent Clemson into the College Football Playoff has been named the Freshman Special Team Player of the Year as named by the Football Writers Association of America and presented by Chris Doering Mortgage.
Charlotte native Nolan Hauser delivered the 56-yard field goal in the final seconds of the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium. That now stands as the longest field goal in the history of that league's title game and it's also the longest field goal by a Tiger player away from Clemson.
On the season, Hauser made 17 of 23 field goals in the regular season and hit on 56 of 57 extra-point attempts.
He became the first FBS player ever to win a conference championship game by kicking a field goal of 50 or more yards as time expired. Hauser led Clemson with 106 points in the regular season, already a Clemson freshman record, and finished with 113 points following the Tigers’ playoff loss at Texas. The 113 points are the fourth-best total among FBS freshmen, seventh-best among all kickers and the 34th highest total among all players.
This is the first year the FWAA is honoring a special teams freshman of the year.
He will join USC quarterback LaNorris Sellers and Notre Dame defensive back Leonar Moore who will be honored during a ceremony Feb. 24 at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille in Gainesville, Fla., along with Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who earned the FWAA’s First-Year Coach Award.
