Life after Deshaun Watson looks great for Clemson Tigers

The Clemson Tigers have massive shoes to fill with quarterback Deshaun Watson going pro. Who now is the heir apparent to the Clemson quarterback throne?

The Clemson Tigers are the 2016 National Champions. They defeated the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 on Monday, Jan. 9 to win the second national title in school history. This was Clemson’s first since the 1981 NCAA season. It took a team effort to slay Goliath Alabama, but much of Clemson’s success was riding on the dual-threat ability of star junior quarterback Deshaun Watson.

After three incredible years with the Tigers, Watson has wisely decided to forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. He projects as a first-round prospect, presumably one of three franchise quarterbacks entering the draft. However, Watson does not have a clear comparable NFL prototype, which has hurt his draft stock.

Watson will end up being somebody’s franchise quarterback in 2017, but how does Dabo Swinney go about replacing the greatest quarterback in Clemson history? Who can the Tigers rally behind in 2017 and push for another national title as early as 2018?

On Swinney’s roster heading into National Signing Day 2017 (February 1), he has two signal-callers returning from last year’s team, two quarterbacks committed to Clemson from the 2017 high school graduating class, and another blue-chip prospect coming in 2018.

Returning to Clemson from the 2016 National Championship team are junior Kelly Bryant (Wren HS, Calhoun Falls) and redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper (Jonesboro HS, Jonesboro, GA). Bryant has attempted a total of 18 passes in two years at Clemson. He completed 72.2 percent of his passes for 75 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Cooper hasn’t played a down for the Tigers due to being redshirted in 2016.

Kelly Bryant

Looking at Bryant’s high school tape, he actually compares very favorably to Watson. He throws an accurate ball in the medium-to-long passing game. While he is a dual-threat playmaker like Watson, Bryant looks to pass first and run second. His footwork is excellent in the pocket and he plays with a poise that will translate to handling tough Power 5 pass rushes. Going against solid high school competition in South Carolina makes Bryant a likable contender to replace Watson in 2017.

The main criticisms to Bryant are obviously his delivery. It comes across as a bit of a short-armed throw. While it is accurate, he doesn’t project as a big-arm NFL talent. There is a decent chance he will have many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage with his low release point. That being said, Bryant feels like a good bet to start at quarterback for Clemson in Week 1.

Zerrick Cooper

Cooper will have his opportunity to win the starting quarterback job as a redshirt freshman. Like Watson was coming out of high school in Georgia, Cooper is a dual-threat passer that prefers to pass first, then run second. He has experience playing under center in high school against strong in-state talent in Georgia. Cooper throws a very catchable ball and appears to be at his best when a play breaks down.

Cooper isn’t without big critiques. He rarely looks comfortable in the pocket. His footwork can be chaotic and his mechanics can unravel quickly. It’s almost as if he prefers working under center as opposed to being in shotgun. That’s not a bad thing for a guy with potential NFL aspirations. Being able to take snaps under center is paramount at the professional level.

The one thing most troubling about Cooper is although his ball looks good in the air, he is constantly changing his delivery. Sometimes, it’s a dart with a quick snap of the wrist. Other times, he’ll go a bit sidearmed with a loopy delivery.

Cooper looks to have more on-field dynamic ability than Bryant when being compared to Watson. Though Cooper has a slightly higher of a ceiling over Bryant, he does have a lower floor as a college quarterback prospect.

Bryant and Cooper are likely going to be duking it out for the starting job in Week 1 of the 2017 season. However, they both seem to be in the vein of a Cole Stoudt as quarterback placeholders, biding time for what is coming up the Clemson quarterback pipeline.

Swinney has landed two ESPN 300 quarterbacks in the 2017 graduating class: No. 19 overall/No. 1 pocket-passer Hunter Johnson (Brownsburg HS, Brownsburg, IN) and No. 253 overall/No. 13 pocket-passer Chase Brice (Grayson HS, Lawrenceville, GA).

Chase Brice

Brice played his high school ball at the same high school in metro Atlanta that produced the No. 1 player in the 2013 high school class, defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche. Grayson is a powerhouse of a football program in upper level of the GHSA. This four-star signal caller could have signed elsewhere for more playing time, but opted for competition at Clemson.

Of the five players guys vying to eventually replace Watson, Brice has gone against the toughest high school competition. Gwinnett County in Georgia produces an absurd level of high school football talent. Brice has a quick delivery and looks to be accurate on the run. However, he’ll need to play behind a reliable offensive line in Clemson to have any success at being a starting quarterback. Brice could crumble behind a collapsing pocket very easily.

He is almost certainly looking at a redshirt in 2017. If the five-man competition coming in the next year or two is too much, don’t be shocked if Brice transfers for playing time elsewhere. Brice is a solid four-star prospect, but he’ll have his work cut out for him to get meaningful snaps while at Clemson.

Hunter Johnson

Johnson has enrolled early at Clemson in 2017. He is the No. 1 quarterback in his recruiting class and has the biggest upside as Watson’s potential successor at Clemson. Expect him to need most of 2017 to get into the swing of things in the Clemson offense. However, it’s impossible for Swinney to even consider redshirting this blue-chip quarterback prospect. Just look at the tape.

Albeit playing against lesser competition in Indiana, Johnson has the physical tools to be an eventual first-round pick in an NFL Draft. His throwing motion is unbelievably fluid. Like an Aaron Rodgers, it never changes whether he’s throwing from a clean pocket or running to the sidelines to extend plays.

Johnson looks tremendously efficient in running a spread attack. He gets the ball out very quickly and hits his wide receivers in stride. Johnson is able to make his receivers look better by where he places the football. His pocket presence in shotgun formation is outstanding. He and Bryant have that similar poise in the pocket to what Watson displayed at Clemson the last three seasons.

Running a spread offense, Johnson shows promise pre-snap and makes the necessary reads to be an effective pro-style passer. While not labeled a dual-threat, Johnson can extend plays with his legs. As a runner, he could be effective like Chad Kelly and Trevor Knight were in college.

The best thing Johnson has going for him is his release. It accentuates his arm talent. He doesn’t have a gun for a right arm. However, it offers the best attributes of Russell Wilson’s throwing motion and Jameis Winston’s velocity. The Winston prototype seems comparable for Johnson.

However, there are a few criticisms of him coming out of Brownsburg. He never takes snaps under center, which could be problematic in his progression as an eventual NFL quarterback. Add in the upgrade of competition from high school football in Indiana to the ACC Atlantic and he may struggle with the pass rush out of a five-step drop.

Though his throwing mechanics are outstanding, he does tend to let the ball sail at times. He’ll miss high like Cam Newton did at Auburn and in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. This leaves him primed to get picked off by defensive backs with above-average ball skills. Scouts view this as his biggest criticism.

The only other thing to nitpick about this blue-chipper is when he runs, Johnson doesn’t look to throw. He’s shifty as a runner, though not blazing fast. When he bails on a play, it’s obvious and ACC defenses will tee off on him when he chooses to scramble.

Though still in high school, there is one other five-star quarterback that could eventually get the Clemson quarterback coronation: Trevor Lawrence of Cartersville, Georgia. Lawrence is the No. 3 player and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2018 high school recruit class, according to the ESPN 300. He offers Swinney something totally different at the position as early as 2018.

Trevor Lawrence

For as refined of a prospect as Johnson is coming out of Indiana in 2017, Lawrence is as raw coming out of Georgia in 2018. Lawrence has the mentality of a gunslinger and the howitzer of a right arm to back it up.

The arm talent is slightly less than what Matthew Stafford or Jacob Eason had coming out of high school. However, it is powerful enough to let him get away with bad decisions playing at an elite high school program like Calhoun. He’s definitely more mobile than Eason at Georgia, perhaps a shade more than what Stafford has shown with the NFL’s Detroit Lions.

For better or worse, he plays with the swagger of a Jay Cutler. Lawrence is a better overall version of Kelly was when he was at Ole Miss. He seems to relish improvisational playmaking opportunities as a quarterback. Take the best qualities of Newton or Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M and it’s not hard to see Lawrence succeeding in the ACC.

The Wyld Stallyn with his flowing mane popping out of the back of his helmet might be the most talented player Swinney has had at the position. However, there is a chance harnessing his talent in college could be incredibly difficult.

A redshirt to create a two-year gap between him and Johnson might ultimately serve him, but would Lawrence be even remotely interested in that? He has the talent to start as a true freshman at some point for a Power 5 school, maybe even the 2018 Tigers. However, his faulty mechanics and lack of a pocket presence could derail his high upside. That being said, he could be the one to get Clemson its third national title before he leaves school.

2017 Clemson Quarterback Forecast

So how do we forecast the Clemson quarterback saga evolving now that Watson is going to the NFL? In 2017, look for it to be a three-man competition between Bryant, Cooper, and Johnson.

Bryant will likely get the nod in Week 1 and will probably be the starter through at least September. However, should he falter in the first month, that leaves open the door for either Cooper or Johnson to step in. All three will play at some point in 2017, with Brice obviously being redshirted.

If Johnson eventually usurps both Bryant and Cooper on the quarterback depth chart, expect either Bryant of Cooper to transfer in 2018. Bryant could get immediate playing time as a graduate transfer if Johnson clearly becomes the guy. Cooper would have to sit out a second time in three years in his case.

2018 Clemson Quarterback Forecast

Lawrence’s arrival in 2018 will only add to the quarterback competition. If Johnson’s rise to starter in 2017 doesn’t signify one of the five Clemson quarterbacks transferring, Lawrence’s mere presence absolutely does. Swinney will push for him to be redshirted if Lawrence is still too raw coming out of high school. Would he accept it or de-commit entirely to sign elsewhere?

If history repeats itself, Bryant is to Stoudt as Johnson is to Watson. Should Johnson be the heir apparent to Watson, we might find out as early as late September 2017. Regardless, Clemson’s problem of having too many starting quarterback candidates is not a bad situation to be in.

Expect 2017 to be a 10-win season for Clemson. Look for the Tigers to be national title contenders as early as 2018 with quarterback play a primary reason for that.