Clemson is taking a slightly different approach to quarterback recruiting in the 2027 class.
It started all too familiar, with one offer going out to four-star Peyton Houston early in June, on the final day of Dabo Swinney’s high school camp. Houston was, without question, one of the best quarterbacks to camp at Clemson this summer, and his workout was overly impressive.
For a month, Houston stood as the only signal caller to hold an offer from the Tigers, which is par for the course. Clemson tends to zero in on no more than two this early in the cycle.
Then on Friday, three new offers went out, with each one going to a quarterback who worked out at camp last month. Four 2027 quarterbacks now hold offers from the Tigers. You have to go all the way back to the Chad Morris era to find an example of Clemson offering that many quarterbacks this early in the cycle.
2027 QB Offers
- Four-star Peyton Houston (No. 44 overall Rivals)
- Four-star Teddy Jarrard (No. 107 overall On3)
- Four-star Trent Seaborn (No. 115 overall ESPN)
- Four-star Kharim Hughley (No. 93 overall ESPN)
With the net being widened, so to speak, some might wonder if the plan is to take two quarterbacks in 2027. The answer to that would be no. The Tigers will already have Chris Vizzina and Chris Denson on the roster, and the plan is to sign two in 2026, with Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley both being committed currently. Assuming all four of those guys stay in the fold, adding one in 2027 would put the Tigers at the magic number of five.
Not to mention, under the new revenue-sharing model, adding a sixth would be counter-productive. That money would certainly be better spent elsewhere. Those are the kinds of things that need to be factored into the equation in this era of college football.
It’s also worth noting that all four of the quarterbacks with offers are fairly highly rated. It’s not very likely that any of them would prefer being viewed as a “second QB take.”
What offering a couple more than normal does do, though, is basically amp up the pressure a little. All four of those quarterbacks know it is going to be first-come, first-serve. Not to suggest that a commitment is imminent, but schools do like to have their quarterbacks locked up as early as possible. Then on the flip side of that, many times, the more heavily pursued players at the position like to go ahead and lock up spots.
For example, Jarrard recently told TCI he could see himself being committed by the end of the summer, and Hughley said he might have a decision as soon as December. Last month, Houston said he could commit before the start of the upcoming season.
Having four bona fide targets also gives the staff options, in case Houston, who is obviously the top target, were to end up elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright