Quarterback is the most important position in football. Some argue that it transcends every other position in sports.

For [autotag]Clemson[/autotag] quarterbacks coach [autotag]Brandon Streeter[/autotag], the first part of the formula he uses to evaluate a high school quarterback for the college game is relatively cut and dry.

“Number one, we want to have a guy that is a quarterback first,” he said. “What I mean…not only do I want to have a guy that can throw the ball first, but also have the intangibles that can really unite a team, the leadership ability, the work ethic, all those intangibles that make him special.”

The hurry-up, no-huddle offense that Chad Morris brought to Clemson in 2011 requires its quarterback to have a degree of athleticism and speed. That hasn’t changed since Morris departed for the head job at SMU.

“I don’t necessarily want an athlete that we think can be a quarterback. I’d much rather have a guy that’s already established, we know that he can play quarterback,” Streeter said. “We know he can do this and have the best athlete from there, so that’s kind of where we start.”

But the labels don’t apply to every quarterback. Sometimes, the line blurs between pocket-passer and dual-threat.

“Some people would try to say [autotag]Nick Schuessler[/autotag] would be more of a pocket guy. I wouldn’t label Nick Schuessler as a dual-threat. Everybody’s definition of that stuff is a little bit different, so I think there is a gray area,” Streeter said. “I think, for us, a guy that can move out of the pocket and run some zone-read and things like that, it’s critical for our offense.”

[autotag]Deshaun Watson[/autotag] showed during his first season at Clemson that he’s more than capable of producing with his arm and legs.

“Being able to move the pocket, being able to throw the ball from different launch points is important for a lot of reasons. To move the pocket, to help the offensive line, all of those things are critical,” Streeter said. “For a quarterback to be able to not just stand in the pocket and throw the ball, but maneuver. It’s critical.

“That doesn’t mean it has to be a guy that’s a 4.4 or a 4.5 guy, but a guy that can move and throw the ball well on the run, and can hold defenses accountable or to hold them in check by being able to run the football when we need him to, and that just totally depends on who it is back there.”

Morris saw those some of those things in [autotag]Kelly Bryant[/autotag] and [autotag]Tucker Israel[/autotag]. So does Streeter.

“I think that all the guys we have, have the ability to run the football in a certain way,” Streeter said. “Deshaun is a unique athlete. He can run the football and he’s more of an outside guy than an inside guy like Tajh Boyd was.

Then, like Nick Schuessler, he showed he’s got some good feet. He’s got pretty good feet, but he’s not quite as smooth as an athlete as Deshaun is. He’s adequate. He can hold defenses, to make sure that they try to defend him as well.”

Most of the quarterbacks on Clemson’s roster are listed at 6-2 or taller. Israel, the shortest of the group, is 5-11.

Height is critical, but it’s not the end all be all, look no further than Russell Wilson or Drew Brees.

“I think that height, obviously, is important. But I don’t think it’s the only thing,” Streeter said. “I think things that would be more important than height would be, not only making good decisions, having savviness, but being able to make all the throws that you need to make. That is the most important thing.

“Height, obviously, helps. Being able to see from the pocket is critical. Having that height really helps that, but if a guy has been able to do that at 6-feet or 5-11 at a high level and can show that — whether it’s in practice or in games, and has that savviness about him, just goes out and balls out and does a great job — obviously he’s a guy we’d be interested (in) as well.”