Kicker B.T. Potter never appeared in a regular game with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Or really, hasn’t. A rookie out of Clemson, he isn’t shutting the door on his kicking days. Still working three days a week, waiting for a call. Even if it never comes, he’ll always get to talk about his summer with the Steelers.
Undrafted, Potter signed with the Steelers this offseason. He spent the spring and summer on the team’s 90-man roster as Chris Boswell’s backup, seeing action in camp and during the preseason, especially the opener against Tampa Bay. Appearing on the Clemson-based the Tigers Den podcast, Potter discussed his time with the team.
“I was just excited to be there,” Potter said.
One of the Tigers’ most successful kickers in history, Potter made 73 career field goals and over 230 extra points at Clemson. He broke the school record for most kicks of 50 or more yards and holds a share of the school record with 69 career games played.
Only a handful of kickers get drafted, leaving the majority looking to get into a camp as an undrafted player. Pittsburgh’s interest in Potter wasn’t surprising. Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith attended the Tigers’ Pro Day, and Potter revealed on the podcast that he attended dinner with the team, joining teammates Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson. Potter said the team kept in contact leading up to the draft before signing him following April’s main event.
After spending OTAs and minicamp with the team, Potter made the trip to Latrobe for training camp. A small-time feel, he loved the environment.
“They do their camp at a small college outside of Pittsburgh. I thought it was amazing,” Potter said. “We were staying in dorms. Everything was right there, which I thought was really cool. I got to know a lot of people way better than I did just because we were around people all the time. It was really cool. I enjoyed that.”
Saint Vincent College has been the home for Steelers’ training camp for more than 50 years, save for the 2020 and 2021 seasons when the pandemic kept them at home. These days, most teams choose not to travel for camp and avoid the logistical issues of transporting an entire organization to another location for a month. But the Steelers see the value of beginning their season by going away, blocking out all outside distractions and focusing solely on football.
In the preseason, Potter went 2-of-3 on his field goals and made all three of his extra points while chipping in on kickoff duties. But his odds of beating out Boswell were slim, and he was predictably released as the Steelers trimmed their roster. Since then, he’s remained a free agent but is hopeful to get back into the league.
It may be a tough path to get back into it, but Potter can look towards Matthew Wright, who began his career as a Steelers UDFA behind Boswell. But he hung around the league and even got chances with Pittsburgh after Boswell got hurt. To date, Wright has appeared in 22 games and made 40 career field goals.
Check out the whole episode below. Potter’s interview begins around the 50-minute mark.
