What’s next for Clemson QBs? Trevor Lawrence, yes. And a ‘Hunter Renfrow package’

This spring, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney proclaimed that the Tigers had four quarterbacks they believed in for the 2018 season in Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence, Hunter Johnson and Chase Brice.

“We can really, truly win with any of the four,” Swinney said at the time.

Four games into the season things have changed quite a bit.

Johnson transferred following the spring and Bryant transferred on Wednesday, leaving a pair of freshmen in Lawrence and Brice as the only remaining players that were recruited to be college quarterbacks on Clemson’s roster.

“Any of y’all got any quarterback eligibility?” Swinney jokingly asked to media that gathered in Clemson’s weight room to meet with the Tigers’ head coach Wednesday night.

At one point Clemson had an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position. Now the Tigers are in search of depth.

“When we were finishing up our team meeting today, I’ve never had so many people come up to me and tell me what a great quarterback they were in high school, or middle school or whatever,” Swinney said. “So lots of volunteers to make sure I knew what a tight spiral they threw and what a good 95-pound quarterback they were back in the day. So it seems to be we have lots of options based on the team meeting.”

The top of the depth chart is simple. Lawrence has locked up the No. 1 spot and Brice is solidly No. 2.

But after that it gets interesting. Freshman Ben Batson is the only other scholarship quarterback, and he was recruited as a walk-on safety before switching to quarterback and being put on scholarship when Johnson transferred.

It seems more likely that senior receiver Hunter Renfrow, who has mastered the offense at this point, would be brought into the game if Clemson gets down to its No. 3 option. Renfrow has been taking snaps at practice this week.

“Renfrow nation. We’ll get a plan for Renfrow,” Swinney said. “He obviously knows everything. But we’ve got to knock the rust off. He really hasn’t been back there ballhandling and all of that. But he’s a quick study and we’ll get him up to speed.”

Renfrow has turned into perhaps Clemson’s most reliable receiver after originally joining the Tigers as a walk-on. He was an option quarterback in high school before switching to receiver.

That experience could pay off for the Tigers now if he is needed.

“Started repping with him yesterday. Dust him off a little bit. All you can do,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to have a plan A, B, C, D.”

Plan D could also involve a receiver, as freshman Derion Kendrick could get some work. Kendrick was a star quarterback at South Pointe before signing with the Tigers as a five-star receiver.

“Everybody talks about DK and, obviously, DK played quarterback in high school, but he’s still … There might be a few things that we could do package-wise with him, but right now he’s not ready,” Swinney said. “He doesn’t know the whole system. So that would be really hard for him. But we’ve got what we’ve got and we’re excited about getting back on the field.”