Assessing Clemson’s 2021 Recruiting needs - Quarterback

The Tigers started off the 2021 recruiting class with nine elite players joining the fold. The Clemson coaching staff will now be presented with the opportunity to build upon that great start. Here’s a look at Clemson’s needs and targets, beginning with quarterback.

Brian Smith | Feb 7, 2020

Assessing Clemson’s 2021 Recruiting needs - Quarterback /

National signing day has come and gone. Quite possibly the nation’s top 2020 recruiting class belongs to Clemson. With that, recruiting never ends. In fact, the Clemson football program continues to blaze the recruiting recruiting trail.

The Tigers’ 2021 recruiting efforts, to date, provide a remarkable standard of excellence. Amongst the nine commitments, defensive end Korey Foreman, a player that can wreck an opponent’s game plan; a wide receiver in Beaux Collins, a prospect that runs by defenders with a 6-3 frame. The list of talent extends through each committed prospect.

Now the Tigers need to surround those committed players with not only talented players in their own right, but also recruits that fit Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s passion and vision. Starting with quarterback, an overview of roster and recruiting needs.

Quarterback

After the 2020 season, it will be surprising if 6-6 signal caller Trevor Lawrence does not forego his final season of college eligibility and head for the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s as close to a sure-thing for the no. 1 pick as a player can be, and he’s a co-favorite along with Ohio State’s Justin Fields to win the Heisman Trophy.

For 2018, Lawrence accumulated 3,280 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. For 2019, the Cartersville (Ga.) High School product kept making plays to the tune of 3,665 yards passing and 36 touchdowns.

Production alone, Lawrence proved to be a dominant passer. What’s interesting would be this young man can move his feet as well. With the 67-yard touchdown run versus Ohio State as evidence, Lawrence defines the term dual-threat quarterback.

What Was Lost

With graduating quarterback Chase Brice headed to Duke to finish his college career, the Clemson quarterback depth chart is thin. Brice will forever be remembered by the Clemson faithful for his ability to lead Clemson to a comeback victory over Syracuse during Lawrence’s first career start. That 2019 game helped Clemson to catapult into the playoffs and become national champions. His talent and ability to come off the bench are gone. The Tigers need to find a replacement. While depth may be scarce, talent will not be.

Incoming freshman quarterback DJ Uiagalelei from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco possesses similar height -- 6-4 ½ -- as Lawrence, and he’s already NFL-sized with a 245-pound frame. More importantly, the strong-armed California talent threw for 4,225 yards and 48 touchdowns.

Those were just Uiagalelei’s 2019 statistics.

For his career, the powerful quarterback threw for 10,496 yards and 127 touchdowns. This is Los Angeles competition we are talking about! Some of the best high school football in America. Very impressive. Now, can the young Californian learn enough of the playbook to become Trevor Lawrence’s backup from the outset of fall camp?

Uiagalelei may need to do just that. Clemson will likely be the preseason no. 1 team in college football. With depth concerns as the biggest hurdle; Brice leaving truly is a big blow.

Recruiting Needs

The Tigers could go multiple routes. This is without question, very complicated. First and foremost, how quickly does Uiagalelei comprehend the offense and adjust to being a Clemson football player and student? It’s no guarantee that he’s going to be a ‘plug and play’ freshman in the event Lawrence becomes injured.

Coach Dabo Swinney :: Susan Lloyd/AllClemson.com

Amongst the options, sign two high school quarterbacks, sign one high school quarterback and take a graduate transfer, or, take a junior college signal caller to go along with a transfer or incoming freshman. Maybe Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney decides to take just one excellent high school quarterback.

Get all that?

Again, there are so many different scenarios because A) depth is scarce, B) the most likely backup to Lawrence will be Uiagalelei, a freshman, or sophomore Taisun Phommachanh and C) Lawrence will likely leave at the conclusion of 2020 season.

This situation will be an often discussed topic inside the Clemson Football facility all year long, as well as every major news outlet across the land. The Tigers could go from the front runner for the Heisman on one play, to a true freshman during the next play.

Prospect to Watch

Clemson already offered a few signal callers, but only one, Caleb Williams, remains on the market. The talented 6-2 dual-threat quarterback is much like many Clemson quarterbacks of the past.

He’s athletic, makes plays on the run, and extends plays when the pocket collapses. Already 210-pounds, he’s a target of many programs across the land, including Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State just to name a few. Here’s a quick look at the Hudl film for the Wasington, D.C. (Gonzaga) standout.

http://www.hudl.com/video/3/6269274/5de28e93f569ca1110370b3d

What may be the most impressive trait for Williams stems from his arm strength; he throws difficult passes even when he’s not in a normal football passing position. To make a comparison, Williams possesses a bit of Brett Favre in him. A gunslinger.

As for a notable comparison to a Clemson player, think of Tajh Boyd with only a stronger arm. There are reasons Williams is so coveted. With that, Clemson could be going in one of many different directions with its 2021 quarterback recruiting.

Remember, it’s only February. The Tigers probably need to see how things shake out after summer workouts to truly know if it will start making plans to give multiple scholarships to signal callers, as suggested above, within its next recruiting class.

Further, the Tigers will continue to evaluate talent at the high school level. Maybe the junior college level, too?

With that, Clemson is off to a great start. The 2021 class should be another top five finish for the Tigers. Quarterback is only step one. Up next, a look at running back recruiting.

You can follow me on Twitter @fbscout_florida

Published Feb 7, 2020

BRIAN SMITH