CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney shared Tuesday that freshman Nolan Hauser is leading the kicker battle against Robert Gunn III.

Kicking plagued the Tigers in the beginning of last season with Gunn missing three field goals and an extra point in the first three games, which led to Swinney replacing him with former walk-on Jonathan Weitz. The Tigers recruited Hauser, a three-star prospect who holds the national high school record in career field goals made, to compete for the job against Gunn, and the North Carolina native has left an impression on Swinney.

"Whoever's up after each practice, that's who goes out there first," Swinney said. "So, they're just kind of competing. They were kind of right there together. Hauser went out there first today, and I think he finished first today, so we'll see how it ends.

Clemson held its fifth practice Tuesday with players wearing shell pads over the past two days. The Tigers will put on full pads Wednesday when they practice at Jervey Meadows and work on things, like live goal-line and short-yardage situations. They are building up for their first scrimmage Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Here are other takeaways from Swinney's availability on Tuesday:

Dabo Swinney on how freshmen T.J. Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr. have performed

Swinney didn't know what to expect from Moore before preseason since he didn't join the team until the summer. After five days of practices, Swinney has a better understanding of the freshman.

"He's a natural like I hoped he would be," Swinney said. "He's got a lot to learn. It's a bunch of installation, six days of installation, but he's everything you want."

Swinney said Wesco, who early enrolled and practiced a ton in the spring, is on his third round of installation and further along than Moore. Swinney was happy to learn Wesco added over 10 pounds to his frame to weigh 182.

"He's had a solid few days," Swinney said. "There's been a few balls I'd like to see him be a little more consistent on some balls that we need him to finish on. … He could go play today. He's got that type of understanding, like he knows what to do."

Clemson football injuries through preseason practices

Swinney said the Tigers are relatively healthy and has had a few injuries that have popped up. One was to running back Jarvis Green, who has missed the past couple days.

“We’ve got a few guys just getting banged up here or there, but just kind of part of camp,” Swinney said. “That’s always going to be the case. We’ve got a guy here, guy there. But for the most part, still in pretty good shape.”

MORE: What Clemson football's Phil Mafah said about preseason backup running back battle

Entering preseason practice, cornerback Miles Oliver was out, wearing a yellow non-contact jersey. Defensive lineman Vic Burley and running back Keith Adams Jr. wore green jerseys, meaning limited participation.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: Nolan Hauser leading kicker battle in preseason