By Will Vandervort.
The quarterback position was an interesting one for the Clemson Tigers in 2014 and it should at least start off that way in 2015.
This time last year Clemson was getting set to replace perhaps its greatest quarterback ever, Tajh Boyd, with Cole Stoudt, Chad Kelly or Deshaun Watson. Most figured Kelly would ultimately win the starting job and the younger Watson might take over by mid-season and be the face of the program for the next several years.
Well, the latter part was partially right. Watson did ultimately take over as the starter and he is the face of the program, but the way it all turned out was one of the craziest stories in college football last fall. We all know the story and don’t really need to break it down any further than that.
A year later, Watson has firm control of the starting job at Clemson and Kelly is set to be the starter at Ole Miss. But Watson will not be the Tigers’ quarterback this spring as he nurses his surgically repaired ACL in his left knee.
That leaves Nick Schuessler manning the position with two true freshmen in Kelly Bryant and Tucker Israel, who enrolled in school earlier this month so they—like Watson last year—could get a jump on things. Sure, Watson will be there for all the team and position meetings and he will observe every practice as he attempts to build a relationship with new quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter as well as one with new co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott.
Given the fact Watson had three significant injuries last year—the shoulder in the spring, the broken finger and then the torn ACL—that caused him to miss the spring game and five games during the season, it is imperative Streeter gets Bryant and Israel ready to play by the end of the spring.
I know some of you out there are saying what about Schuessler? Wasn’t he in position to possibly start if Stoudt could not recover from his struggles from the Georgia Tech game? The answer is no. There was a reason why Schuessler never saw any significant playing time against Georgia State and it had nothing to do with Stoudt’s confidence. He was just 1-for-2 for 17 yards in that Nov. 22 game.
Schuessler will start the spring receiving significant snaps with the first-team offense but there is no doubt the goal is to have Bryant or Israel ready to be the backup to Watson by the end of the spring.
Nick Schuessler, Jr., 6-foot-3, 195 pounds
About: Schuessler is one of those Spring Game Legends after completing 21 of 34 passes for 220 yards in the 2013 game. He was 10 of 20 for 93 yards in last year’s spring game. His numbers in real playing time at Clemson are okay – 8-for-10 passing for 53 yards in 47 snaps over eight games in his career. He has completed 80.0 percent of his passes and has a 124.5 pass efficiency rating. But you have to consider those numbers came in mop-up time against S.C. State in 2013 and ’14, in a blowout win over Virginia in ‘13, against Georgia Tech when the game was all but over this past fall and in mop-up duty against Georgia State.
Strengths: He moves well in the pocket. He is a mobile quarterback that can throw on the run.
Weaknesses: He has a small build. He is inconsistent with his passes and does not have great arm strength.
Kelly Bryant, Fr., 6-foot-4, 205 pounds
About: A four-star prospect who comes to Clemson rated as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 4 overall player in South Carolina. He led Wren High School to an 11-1 record and a Western AAA title this past fall, while throwing for 3,570 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. He also rushed for 720 yards and 14 scores.
Strengths: He is a good athlete who started to shred the label as just an athlete by the end of his junior year. He has a strong arm and good awareness in the pocket. He will be a perfect fit for what Clemson asks its quarterbacks to do in the zone-read schemes.
Weaknesses: Needs to become a more accurate passer, especially what Clemson will ask its quarterbacks to do. He struggled at times to keep his eyes down field as he leaned more on his instincts as an athlete than as a quarterback.
Tucker Israel, Fr., 6-foot, 195 pounds
About: A four-start prospect by ESPN that is rated as the No. 12 dual-threat quarterback in the country. He received a grade of 81 by ESPN, one notch higher than fellow quarterback and 2015 enrollee Bryant. He was named the Class 7A Player of the Year in Florida after completing 67 percent of his passes for 4,446 yards with 56 touchdowns. He threw just 11 interceptions in 470 attempts. He also broke his own state-record of 3,903 yards that he set in 2013. He also holds the Florida single-season record for completions (315) and tied the mark for touchdown passes (56). He holds the Florida prep records for completions (968), attempts (1,522), yards (14,082) and touchdowns (162).
Strengths: He should have a good grasp of the Tigers’ offense since he ran a very similar one in high school. He has good mobility, can run the zone-read and is very accurate as a passer.
Weaknesses: He needs to get bigger and stronger. Some critics wonder if his body frame can take on the hits he can inquire as a quarterback in Clemson’s offense.