Timing was right for Chase Brice to leave Clemson. What’s next as QB seeks new school
When Chase Brice signed with Clemson in the class of 2017, the Georgia native knew he would be a part of a deep and talented quarterback room.
Five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson also signed with Clemson that year, and the nation’s top quarterback — Trevor Lawrence — had already committed to the Tigers for the class of 2018. There were also a few skilled quarterbacks already on campus in Kelly Bryant, Zerrick Cooper and Tucker Israel.
But Brice wasn’t afraid of a challenge.
“When I committed, I didn’t think transferring was an option,” Brice told The State on Monday. “My goal was to end up playing here and to lead a team. It just so happened that it didn’t work out that way. I got some good experience and playing time.”
Brice outlasted all of the aforementioned quarterbacks — with the exception of Lawrence — before announcing earlier this month that he would transfer for his final two seasons of eligibility.
Brice becomes the fifth quarterback to transfer from Clemson in two years, joining Cooper, Bryant, Johnson and Israel. He is set to graduate in May and will have two years of eligibility remaining. Brice will be immediately eligible to play in 2020 as a graduate transfer.
“My time at Clemson was special. We had a deep quarterback room and some things started to shake out. The next thing you know I’m the next guy in line if someone goes down. That’s pretty crazy to think about after four or five guys that were four-star guys, five-star guys coming out,” Brice said. “But it was special. The fans were special. The atmosphere, the family feel … just everything about Clemson. It’s a special place. It’ll always have a special place in my heart. It’s always going to be home. Just very appreciative of the fans, my coaching staff that pushed me to get better.”
Brice will be at Clemson this spring taking classes but will not participate in spring practice. Instead, he is going through the recruiting process all over again.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder told The State that he has heard from several schools already and is beginning the process of trimming his list.
“There’s about five, six, seven schools that have a great opportunity for me to go in,” Brice said.
As for what he will look for in a new home?
“The right fit for me that fits my abilities and strengths. An offense that is QB friendly. Not really worried about where it’s at at this point. I’m looking everywhere,” Brice said. “A good coaching staff. I’ve been around a great coaching staff for three years, and I want to have the opportunity to continue that. Coaches that will put you in the best position to win, love their jobs and love coaching, enjoy coaching quarterbacks. Someone that I can really learn from and take a lot away from the next two years.”
Brice added that he has not heard from USF or Georgia yet, two schools that were mentioned as possible landing spots as rumors began to swirl about his future late in the season.
A source told The State on Monday that USF is not expected to pursue Brice after landing transfer quarterback Cade Fortin from North Carolina earlier this offseason. There was speculation that Brice might end up at South Florida after former Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott was hired to lead the program.
Brice is from Georgia and the Bulldogs lost starter Jake Fromm to the NFL, so there was naturally speculation that Brice might find a new home at UGA, but Georgia landed Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman as a grad transfer.
“There’s some Power 5 opportunities. To be honest I haven’t had any contact with anybody over at South Florida. I know it’s a hectic, busy time for them,” Brice said. “The next signing day is February 5th, so they’re probably trying to get guys that they need in some other spots, as well.”
Brice will “absolutely” study depth charts before deciding on his next school. He plans to spend February breaking down the positives and negatives of the schools that have reached out to him, and then he will take some visits during spring practice.
“I was a backup here and the goal of this whole thing is to have that opportunity to go play. I’ll have my degree. I’m going to be graduating in May, so I can go into a grad program,” Brice said. “I already have some experience. I’ve been on some big stages and played against some pretty good teams, so that’s a big factor.”
Brice has sought advice from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter, former Clemson QBs Tajh Boyd and Kelly Bryant, his parents and others as he goes through this process. The overwhelming amount of support from Clemson’s coaching staff, players and fans have made the process an easy one.
“It’s been amazing. I’ve had two of the best conversations with coach Swinney and coach Streeter about it. They were very supportive of me. They understood the situation,” Brice said. “They want to see me do well, and they know I’m ready to go lead a team, bring everything that I’ve learned here at Clemson and take it wherever that may be.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 1:36 PM.
