Who Clemson has behind Watson at quarterback - just in case

When Kyle Parker was hammered by a blindside tackle at Auburn six years ago, Clemson’s season was derailed after three games.

Though Parker probably should have come off that night at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Clemson coaches were skeptical that redshirt freshman Tajh Boyd could handle the big stage. Playing through pain, Parker missed a couple of chances to win the game with passes he completed the previous season.

Parker’s throws were seldom crisp and frequently off target. Questions throughout the season about his fitness were deflected, and Clemson did not turn to Boyd until after Parker was hurt again in the bowl game. The remainder of the year wasn't much better as Clemson halved its regular season games and finished 6-7.

Depth at quarterback, a precarious issue since before Dabo Swinney replaced Tommy Bowden, shouldn’t be a scary proposition this season, though there are at least two reasons to inventory the five on scholarship.

Before he led Clemson’s run to the national championship game, Deshaun Watson was recovering from knee surgery to repair the third significant injury he sustained his first year on campus. Questions persisted into the season about his fitness to handle the pounding, but Watson started all 15 games.

Also, coincidentally, Clemson returns to open the season at Auburn, a program that coveted Watson right up to his high school graduation.

Recruiting top players has not been the problem. Willy Korn, Tajh Boyd, Chad Kelly and Deshaun Watson participated in the Elite 11 quarterback camp. Keeping them healthy and fully invested has been a challenge.

Korn, recruited by Bowden, started Swinney’s first game as interim head coach and did not last a quarter. The former Byrnes High prodigy transferred the next year when arm and shoulder issues hampered his ability to fulfill his promise. Tony McNeal, a top-ranked prospect from Chester, succumbed to brittle knees and gave up football after his second spring game. Morgan Roberts of Charlotte transferred and thrived at Yale for two seasons. And after clashing with Clemson coaches during a spring game, Kelly was sent packing.

Boyd, Swinney’s first QB recruit, was a horse upon succeeding Parker, starting 40 straight games. Cole Stoudt, backup for three seasons, was named his successor in 2014, but Watson quickly surpassed him after three games only to be sidelined twice by injuries. When Watson tore a knee ligament at Georgia Tech and could not continue, Stoudt was ill-prepared and it cost Clemson a shot at the ACC crown.

Watson remained durable last season in the run to the national title game, and once again he’s the one player Clemson can least afford to lose. However, with the depth at each offensive skill position and an experienced offensive line, the responsibility wouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of a backup quarterback.

As Ohio State showed in its 2014 national championship season, it pays to have more than one or two.

With Watson likely headed to the NFL after this season and Schuessler exhausting his eligibility, Clemson has commitments from five-star Hunter Johnson of Brownsburg, Ind., and four-star Chase Brice of Loganville, Ga., for the recruiting class of 2017

“We’ve got guys coming here, one in January and another next summer,” Swinney said. “We’re always going to try to have five guys here on scholarship. Most schools, to be honest with you, probably have six or seven. Our number is five, and if we sign a guy we sign him because we feel like he can play here.

“Some are going to superstars, some are going to backups and some are going to be in between,” he said. “That’s all part of it, but that’s the same at any school out there. At a place like Clemson there should be good players at every position including quarterback.”