Talented 2017 recruit Hunter Johnson will try to live up to the standard set by the greatest player in Clemson’s history after a National Championship season.
The Clemson Tigers are coming off their first National Championship win since 1981, thanks in large part to the transcendent play of quarterback Deshaun Watson. As Watson gets ready to head to the NFL Draft, he leaves behind memories of a great three years at the helm of the program: a 32-3 record as a starter, two appearances in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game including this year’s win, back-to-back top-three Heisman Trophy finishes, and more. It is more than safe to say that Watson is the greatest player in Clemson history. As the program looks to stay among the nation’s elite programs after losing him as well as several other contributors, where do they look? In steps, Hunter Johnson, a quarterback recruit in the class of 2017 committed to Clemson.
Johnson is rated a four or five-star prospect, depending on recruiting outlet, and is listed as the best or second-best at his position by all of the major scouting services. The native of Brownsburg, Indiana had initially committed to being a Tennessee Volunteer before flipping to the Tigers in December of 2015. One of the top recruits in Clemson’s 2017 class along with another Vol-flipped-Tiger in wide receiver Tee Higgins, Johnson could come in and immediately find success linking up with a fellow freshman. Deshaun Watson found a similar bond early on with his friend and roommate Artavis Scott. The two connected often throughout their three years in Death Valley and will now leave for the NFL Draft together. That, along with several other aspects, are what make Johnson so similar to Watson when he was a freshman.
Johnson is listed as a pocket-passer by the recruiting services, seeming to lack the athletic ability to be a major threat with his legs. Watson, on the other hand, was listed as a dual-threat and showed that by racking up an average of over 50 rushing yards per game in his tenure with the Tigers. Outside of that, the comparisons are abundant. The scouting reports instead rave about Johnson as an advanced passer with better instincts than most his age. He has the makeup of a classic signal-caller; tall with a good frame and a strong arm. Watson went to Clemson with a similar build and talented arm. Like the quarterback he is trying to replace, Johnson comes in a little small as a freshman, but time with the strength staff should add significantly to his build. Doing that quickly, though, will be of importance as Watson’s skinny build was a drawback early on and led to injuries that caused him to miss several games in 2014.
Johnson’s ability with his arm should help quell concerns on the injury front as he likely won’t be taking as many hits as the running-oriented Watson did. If he can put that arm to good use early in his career like Watson, Johnson will be able to sit back behind the Tigers’ talented offensive line and make throws to the myriad of veteran skill players such as Deon Cain and championship hero Hunter Renfrow. Playing in Dabo Swinney’s up-tempo, spread style should help him get comfortable early as there are lots of screens and other easy throws built into the offense.
Another way Watson was eased into the offense was via platoon, as he was used interchangeably throughout his freshman year with incumbent Cole Stoudt. Johnson could see a similar situation as he will have to compete for the starting job with the likes of Kelly Bryant, who has gotten some snaps spelling Watson in previous seasons, and the Tigers’ top quarterback recruit of 2016, Zerrick Cooper. Neither has the pedigree of Johnson, though, as they were both outside of the top five quarterback recruits in their respective classes. Regardless, both should know the offense after being in the program for some time and could help teach Johnson when he gets overwhelmed. Bryant is a run-first quarterback, often looking like a tailback when he tucks it and runs while Cooper was also recruited as a pocket passer.
Getting any snaps at all could be difficult for Johnson with both of those guys ahead of him. Watson only had to compete with Stoudt, an unranked three-star recruit, after Chad Kelly was dismissed from the team in the spring. The lack of competition allowed Watson to step in and get snaps in his very first game, though with two good players in front of Johnson, means he may not be so lucky. Bryant and Cooper could work well together with Bryant running the read-option and Cooper making the throws. While Johnson could theoretically come in and be the throwing side of a duo, Clemson coaches have been raving about Cooper.
“This guy can absolutely throw a frozen rope,” Swinney said last spring of Cooper. “You can hear it in the stands when it comes out of his hands. It’s flying.”
So while Johnson has had the fanfare of a top recruit surrounding him since committing to Clemson, he has far more competition to go through than Watson did in his first year.
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Because of the competition and his still needing to put on some weight, Johnson may find that a redshirt year would be to his benefit. That would put him in yet another tough situation, though, as Clemson has a commitment from the top quarterback in the 2018 class in Trevor Lawrence.
None of that will matter if Johnson compares to Watson as well as it seems he does. If the freshman can come in and whip the ball around the field, making throws reminiscent of Watson, he would be firmly entrenched as the starter. As Watson did, leading a team with plenty of skill all around the roster to the College Football Playoff may not be out of reach for the talented youngster.
As his new head coach Dabo Swinney said after winning the trophy just a few weeks ago, “It won’t be 35 years before Clemson will do this again.” With the highly sought after recruit from Indiana coming his way, it may not even be four.