Inside Recruiting: Clemson Still Searching For 2021 Quarterback

Having missed on their top quarterback targets early on in the 2021 recruiting cycle, the Tigers have now had to turn their attention elsewhere. Today we take a look at the top two candidates.

It is common knowledge that the Tigers need a quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class. With Trevor Lawrence presumably off to the NFL following the coming season, Clemson needs to land at least one quarterback in this cycle if for no other reason than depth purposes.

Early in this recruiting cycle, the Clemson coaching staff targeted some of the top signal-callers in the country. They offered Drake Maye, Eli Stowers, Christian Veilleux, and Caleb Williams. However, all but Williams have committed elsewhere.

Last week, Williams officially released a list of his top three schools, and the Tigers did not make the cut. Having missed on their top choices, where does the coaching staff now turn their attention. 

Currently, it seems that there are two players to keep an eye on. 

The first guy to watch is Bubba Chandler, from Bogart, Georgia, which is just outside of Athens. Chandler received an offer late Thursday night, via a FaceTime call with head coach Dabo Swinney.

Chandler is a two-sport athlete and is one of those "under the radar" type of football recruits. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback has not been rated by any of the recruiting services and has yet to garner a lot of interest from college football coaches.

The Clemson offer was just his first from a P5 school, and just his seventh overall. Schools that have offered are Charlotte, Troy, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Western Kentucky, and Mercer.

Currently, Chandler is committed to playing baseball at Georgia. Playing baseball at Clemson is something that certainly interests Chandler, as he had been in contact with the Tigers coaching staff prior to committing to the Bulldogs.

Last week, Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter also reached out to Lucas Coley, a three-star prospect out of San Antonio. Coley had planned to announce a commitment last Friday but has now put any kind of announcement on hold since hearing from Clemson. 

Coley (6-2, 205 pounds) is listed as the 19th best dual-threat quarterback in the country in the 247 Composite. And while no official offer has come just yet, there certainly seems to be mutual interest between the two parties. 

He reportedly has offers from more than 30 schools, with Arkansas considered the leader for his services. Although he has said publicly that receiving an offer from a program the caliber of Clemson's is cause for him to rethink things. 

The coaching staff has told both players that they want them to come visit once everything is opened back up. Currently, recruits aren't allowed to take any visits due to the NCAA imposed dead period due to COVID-19. 

As things stand today, it looks as if the Tigers have zeroed in on these two quarterbacks. Both are dual threat guys with strong arms, and both are fits for the Tigers offense. 

However, in recruiting things are always changing. What holds true today, may not hold true tomorrow. 

The Tigers have signed at least one quarterback in every class since 2014, a trend that looks to continue with the 2021 class. The only question is who that quarterback will be.