Following the conclusion of the MLB draft last weekend, all eyes were on Clemson’s quarterback room and the looming decisions of incoming freshmen Will Taylor and Bubba Chandler.
While Clemson will continue on with Will Taylor aboard and without Bubba Chandler, who decided to pursue professional baseball, quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter isn’t worried. In fact, Streeter is more excited than anything to see what his five guys can do once fall camp rolls around.
“I think we’re gonna have five guys that I feel really good about,” Streeter said. “Obviously, there’s a lot to do and it is a little more thin than most years, but as you all recall, the year that we won the national championship in 2018, after that fourth game losing Kelly [Bryant], it was Trevor [Lawrence], Chase [Brice], Ben Batson, and then Hunter Renfrow. It was two guys that you felt good about, but we’re gonna be deeper this year and now it’s a matter of getting them ready to play.”
Despite what some would consider a lack of depth, starter D.J. Uiagalelei has more experience coming into his second season than Lawrence did in his national championship campaign, something Streeter thinks could be a real difference maker come kickoff this fall.
“Obviously, losing Bubba, we lost that number and a little bit more depth,” Streeter said. “Coming in in June is very very hard to learn offense and be very comfortable with it, but I’ve been very impressed with Will Taylor and also with Billy Wiles. I think both those kids are gonna be capable and are going to be able to help us. Obviously, you got D.J. who has more experience than Trevor did going into Trevor’s freshman year when we won the whole thing, so I’m really not concerned.”
With guys like Hunter Helms, Taisun Phommachanh, and the freshmen Taylor and Wiles sitting behind Uiagalelei, Streeter is confident in his quarterback room, despite some of their lack of experience, seeing a parallel between the way Brice became “that guy” in 2018 against Syracuse and the potential he sees within this year’s group.
“I think there’s a couple guys that don’t have much experience, but neither did Chase have much experience until that Syracuse game,” the quarterbacks coach said. “Chase did something special in that game and the team rallied around him and that sort of thing. We have guys on this team that are capable of doing something like that for sure.”
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