Top punter finds some magic kicking in Death Valley

Nine months ago, Bukauskas transitioned from a soccer player to a punter and placekicker. His emphasis, however, is on punting, and he is ranked #2 nationally after competing at Kohl's Kicking.

David Hood · Senior Writer · Friday, June 06 2025

Death Valley indeed turned out to be magical for one Texas punter.

Mikey Bukauskas is a 2026 punter out of Prosper (TX) who competed in Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s high school camp earlier this week. Bukauskas, rated as the No. 2 punter in the nation according to Kohl’s, kicked for the coaching staff inside Death Valley with the hopes that an offer would follow. Bukauskas texted TigerNet that being allowed to kick inside Clemson Memorial Stadium was “magical” and that he hoped a little more magic would follow.

The day after the audition, Clemson extended an offer. Nine months ago, Bukauskas transitioned from a soccer player to a punter and placekicker. His emphasis, however, is on punting, and he is ranked #2 nationally after competing at Kohl's Kicking.

"I knew that I had to do my best, and God's plan was going to happen," Bukauskas said. "I went out there and did my thing. I try not to worry about it. I knew if I was going to get the offer, that was going to be God's plan, and I trusted that. Lo and behold, we got the offer. It was a great experience. We really loved it."

Bukauskas said Clemson special teams coach Mickey Conn threw him through the paces to test him in all aspects of the punting game.

"I punted maybe 15 to 20 balls, and I was hitting it really good. It was enough to impress and get the offer," Bukauskas said. "I know for a fact there was one ball that was over five seconds in hang-time. They were all forty-plus yards with high 4.8 hang-time. It was a really good day. We did a little bit of everything, pin them deep kind of thing, some end over end punts. On my last punt that we finished on, it went out at the one-yard line. That was a good one to end on."

After returning to his home in Texas on Wednesday, Bukauskas got the call from the Tigers that he had earned his offer.

"We're definitely high on Clemson and Texas," Bukauskas said. "They are two of the best schools in the country, and really can't go wrong with either one of them. We've got an official visit to Texas this week, and then we're looking at setting up our official visit to Clemson here in the next few weeks as well. Hopefully, after those visits, we'll announce a decision."

Bukauskas has also kicked for coaches at Arkansas, Missouri, Pitt and SMU. The Mustangs have given him a preferred walk-on offer. He also has offers from Connecticut, Southern Miss and North Texas.

BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED✝️ | Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and grace❤️🩸and thank you @DaboSwinney3 for providing me with the privilege and platform to punt ball for @ClemsonFB on full scholarship!! 🟠🟣🐅 #unique #different pic.twitter.com/exPByOA6qY
— Mikey Bukauskas (@MikeBukauskas) June 4, 2025