Quarterbacks coach feels good about Clemson’s options

There’s an old football adage that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.

Clemson coaches aren’t buying that heading into the 2017 season.

In fact, while questions swirl around the program about how they’re going to replace national champion winner Deshaun Watson at the most important position on the field, third-year QB coach Brandon Streeter is taking a different approach.

“I’m excited about the unknown because I love these kids that I’m working with,” Streeter said. “I love where their heart is and I know how hard they’re working to be the best they can be.”

He also likes the talent in his room. Streeter is working with a five-star prospect in true freshman Hunter Johnson (6-foot-4, 200 pounds) and four-star redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper (6-2, 205).

The front-runner coming out of spring ball is junior Kelly Bryant (6-3, 215), a former three-star recruit from Wren High School who is one of the most athletic players on the team.

While all three had their ups and downs in spring practice, Bryant was the most consistent. And even though he’s only 13-for-18 passing the past two seasons for 27 yards and one career touchdown, Bryant would start if the Tigers played today.

“I have a lot of confidence in him,” Streeter said. “He continues to get better and that’s, obviously, what we’re looking for. It’s not all said and done yet. We’ll see how it goes, but right now, it’s Kelly Bryant going into the preseason. He’ll take the first snap out there, but we’ve got some young ones who are doing really well as well.”

Johnson, who enrolled in January and went through spring ball, and Cooper have about 30 practices beginning Aug. 3 to try and catch Bryant before the first game against Kent State on Sept. 3.

A week later, the Tigers host Auburn at Memorial Stadium, and then it’s off to Louisville for the ACC opener.

Would the coaches prefer to have one QB take the bull by the horns and own the job? Absolutely, but Streeter said the competition won’t stop when fall camp ends.

“We’re not choosing from the best of the least or the best of the bad,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “We’ve got competitive, proven winners, great kids, highly intelligent young people that all want the job.

“Somewhere along the way, it will all play itself out. It might be before the season. It might be the end of the season. We might be in the middle of the season. I have no clue, but I know this: We’re going to have some guys capable of going to win for us at quarterback and it’s going to be more than one guy.”

And there’s the rub. Could Swinney turn to a two-quarterback system for the first time in his coaching career?

Streeter says it’s “absolutely” an option, and the coaching staff has been hinting about that since February.

One reason, Swinney says, is that there are no preseason games in college football. There is only so much evaluation that can take place in practice, where QBs have to be protected from injury.

Even without Watson, Clemson’s offensive philosophy calls for a mobile, athletic QB who can utilize run-pass options and keep defenses honest by rushing the ball. Bryant gives the Tigers that aspect, but he hasn’t proven himself as a consistent passer.

“Kelly has the most experience and he has continued to improve,” Streeter said. “It’s all about if he can continue to improve and if the other guys can catch him or not. That’s the big question. If and when that can happen.”

Johnson might have the best chance at changing the coaches’ minds. Streeter said the Brownsburg, Ind., native was a track athlete in high school and is as athletic as Watson. If he can command the playbook, which could be a lot to ask from someone who’s been in the program just seven months, Johnson’s arm and running ability make him a favorite of many pundits to be Clemson’s starter at some point this season.

“That was a big reason why we recruited him, because he has mobility,” Streeter said. “He can escape the pocket and he can throw on the run.”

Streeter insists that Cooper, however, isn’t out of the race. The Jonesboro, Ga., native has “one of the strongest, if not the strongest arm” Streeter’s seen as a coach, and Clemson certainly wants to take advantage of speedy receivers by throwing the ball downfield.

“He’s still young and he’s still learning, but he has the ability to be really special,” Streeter said. “Now it’s about being consistent with that footwork and decision-making.”

That goes for all of these QB options. With a veteran offensive line, a deep receiving corps and a talented defense that can keep the Tigers in every game, finding a consistent game manager who protects the ball and brings some sort of dynamic element could be the key to Clemson making another run at the ACC title and College Football Playoff.

“I’m anxious to see how those guys come back after having spring ball, the summer, skills and drills and 30 practices,” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “I think it’s going to be a great competition.”