In the past, Clemson has been blessed with the likes of Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. The 2020 recruiting class landed 5-star QB DJ Uiagalelei and all was supposed to be status quo.
Due to several factors, and we all know what those are, Clemson’s offense took a step back and struggled through the first seven games of the season. Will 2022 get back to the “explosive offense” Clemson fans are used to? It starts and ends with the quarterback.
Last year, the quarterback room consisted of Uiagalelei, an injured Taison Phommachanh, and two walk-ons. There was very little option when the offense sputtered in getting out to a 4-3 start. It had been 2014 since the Tigers last lost three games in a season. The Tigers finished the season with six straight wins, but the quarterback play was still lacking. How does the team improve in 2023?
Quarterback competition will be different this year. DJ is a year older, and hopefully, last year’s experience will make him work harder. Nothing really can be taken from the spring game, but he still didn’t look like the “2-game DJ in 2020”. He played like it was still the 2021 season.
Enter Cade Klubnik, a 5-star Texas gunslinger, and the #1 QB in the 2022 class. He brings savvy, escapability, quick feet and a quick arm. More than that, he knows what it takes to win and how to lead a team. His last two years as the starter at Westlake High School, he completed 428-619 passes (69%), 78 TD passes with six interceptions. He carried the ball 168 times for 1,054 yards and 27 more TD’s. In that time frame, Westlake won two State Championships at the highest level of football in the talent-rich state of Texas, and won 27 straight games. If DJ were to stumble, the Tigers now have a second viable option.
After the two 5-star quarterbacks, the Tigers have a 3rd former 5-star quarterback in transfer QB Hunter Johsnon. Johnson transferred to Northwestern after determining playing time was going to minimal with Trevor Lawrence in front of him. His desire to return to Clemson as a graduate assistant led to Coach Dabo Swinney convincing him to use his last year of eligibility under center. While Johnson will not be in the running for the starting position, he will bring senior leadership and guidance to two young up-and-coming quarterbacks.
Three walk-ons are still in the development stages, and all three could probably play at a lot of schools.
Sophomore Hunter Helms walked on to Clemson despite holding offers from South Florida, Troy, Holy Cross and others. In fact, he had committed to Holy Cross before changing his destination. As a senior at Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia, SC, he passed for 4,126 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior. Helms has the numbers and the skills, but faces an uphill battle against three 5-star quarterbacks.
Freshman Billy Wiles decommitted from Tulane in order to walk on to the Tigers. He led Stone Bridge High School (Ashburn, Va) to a 9-0 record and a state championship in the spring of 2021 before enrolling at Clemson. As a senior, in a run-heavy offense, Wiles passed for 1300+ yards, 15 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions in nine games. He also rushed for 214 yards and two more touchdowns.
Lastly, 2022 walk-on freshman Trent Pearman (yes, another coach’s son) from nearby Daniel high school, led his team to two straight state championships and a 24-0 record. As a two year starter, Pearman completed 455-599 (76%) for 6,555 yards, 80 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He added 483 yards on the ground with nine more touchdowns.
The 2023 recruiting class will bring in ANOTHER 5-star talent in Christopher Vizzina. Johnson will have moved into a GA position, DJ will be in his senior season, and Klubnik will be a rising sophomore. This position is loaded and ready to lead the Tigers.
Bottom line, this position group is full of winners, from top to bottom. The spring game was a glorified scrimmage and the real competition will begin in August when the team reports for fall camp. It’s going to be fun to watch. Coach Brandon Streeter has a ton of talent to work with and has his work cut out for him. The biggest question in this group is……Can DJ hold off Klubnik.
