QB Hunter Johnson shines in Clemson scrimmage

On a day when Dabo Swinney made his quarterbacks “live” to hit, it was the youngest of them all who proved himself the most.

True freshman Hunter Johnson was the standout at the position in the scrimmage Wednesday, and Swinney and co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said the youngster took a big step forward.

“I thought he had the best day, for sure,” Swinney said. “He really played with good poise. He threw some really nice balls and took advantage of his opportunities. He made some really nice runs, extended some plays with his legs and put the ball where it needed to be.”

Johnson, who’s in a battle with Kelly Bryant and Zerrick Cooper for the starting job, still had some rookie mistakes. He forgot to send a receiver in motion a couple of times. But it was a big step for Clemson’s prized recruit of the 2017 class, who enrolled early to try to get in the mix.

In the scrimmage of about 100 plays, Elliott said it was the first time Johnson received extended reps, and he “looked confident in the pocket, made some good throws, put some good drives together.”

Johnson finished with a team-high 110 yards on 5-of-11 passing and had a 31-yard TD pass to Trevion Thompson.

Swinney said Bryant, who was 8-for-14 for 94 yards, and Cooper, who was 4-of-10 for 28 yards and a TD, had several nice throws that were “50-50” balls, and the receivers weren’t able to come down with those.

“We’ve got some good players,” Swinney said. “It’s very competitive, and it’s going to continue to be competitive. It’ll eventually happen. The best we can do is practice.”

All three running backs – C.J. Fuller, Adam Choice and Tavien Feaster – performed well in the red-zone and goal-line situations.

Defensively, linebacker Dorian O’Daniel was the star of the day. He recorded two sacks and recovered a fumble.

The Tigers have completed 10 practices this spring and return to the field Friday. The annual Orange and White spring game is set for April 8.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 10:24 PM with the headline "QB Hunter Johnson shines in Clemson scrimmage."