Shortly after being promoted to offensive coordinator last month, Clemson assistant Brandon Streeter said the Tigers weren’t actively exploring the transfer portal for another quarterback, though he didn’t rule out the possibility of that changing in the future.
That future is now.
Clemson is set to add a familiar face to its quarterback room in Hunter Johnson, who will be the first player in the transfer portal era to join the Tigers’ program. Of course, Johnson has already been on Clemson’s roster once before when he signed with the Tigers out of Brownsburg (Indiana) High as one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects.
That was in 2017, and Johnson’s initial stay at Clemson lasted just one season. Nearly five full years have passed since, and a lot has changed for Johnson even if his collegiate career hasn’t exactly lived up to the five-star hype.
So what is Johnson bringing back to the Tigers’ quarterback room with his sixth and final season of eligibility?
The biggest thing is game experience, something Clemson doesn’t have a whole lot of at the position behind D.J. Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei’s backup this season, Taisun Phommachanh, is transferring. Neither Hunter Helms nor Billy Wiles, freshmen walk-ons that Swinney said will be going on scholarship next season, has played in more than five games at Clemson. The only other quarterback on next season’s roster? Cade Klubnik, who was in high school this season.
Johnson was Clemson’s third-string quarterback behind Kelly Bryant and Zerrick Cooper in 2017, attempting just 27 passes in seven games that season. With the position set to get even more crowded the following year with the addition of another five-star signal caller, Trevor Lawrence, Johnson transferred to Northwestern.
After sitting out the 2018 season to fulfill transfer rules in place at the time, Johnson took over as Northwestern’s starter in 2019, but his time with the Wildcats didn’t go according to plan either. Injuries and ineffectiveness shuffled him in and out of the lineup at Northwestern, where he played six games in 2019, two in 2020 and was benched after three games this season.
He finished his career at Northwestern completing 95 of 183 passes for 856 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. But the 18 games he’s played in college are the second-most among quarterbacks on Clemson’s roster (Uiagalelei has played in 23 through his first two seasons with 15 being starts).
It’s hard to envision Johnson being a serious candidate for the starting job at Clemson given how things transpired at Northwestern, but he adds experienced depth and an insurance policy should there be a shakeup atop the depth chart in the fall.
The biggest threat to Uiagalelei when it comes to remaining QB1 is Klubnik, Clemson’s latest five-star signee at the position. Klubnik brings a ton of accolades with him from Westlake (Texas) High, where he was a three-time state champion, MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year as a senior and ranked as the nation’s top quarterback prospect in the 247Sports Composite. Klubnik will go through spring practice as a mid-year enrollee, though experience both on the field and in Clemson’s offensive system makes Uiagalelei the favorite to begin his second season as Clemson’s full-time starter in 2022.
But after completing just 55.6% of his passes with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9) this season, Uiagalelei will need to show significant improvement to hold on to his spot, particularly if Klubnik performs well during the spring and into fall camp. If Klubnik was to overtake Uiagalelei as the starter, a departure couldn’t be dismissed as a possibility amid the portal era, which would put Johnson in position to be a seasoned backup if Uiagalelei was to lose the starting job and transfer during the season.
And Clemson could do a lot worse than a quarterback who’s no stranger to his surroundings. Johnson was recruited to Clemson by Streeter, who’s coached the Tigers’ quarterbacks since 2015 and will continue to do so as the offensive coordinator. Streeter will almost certainly add his own wrinkles here and there as the play caller, but Johnson is already familiar with Streeter and the way he likes to operate.
It feels like a near perfect match for all parties involved.
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
