Monday June 02, 2008

Clemson Quarterbacks

Clemson Quarterbacks
Today starts football season as far as I am concerned. On the radio show and the blog, we begin to preview Clemson, South Carolina, the ACC, the SEC and the nation by taking a look at a position unit each week.

Below is the schedule for each:
Radio Show
Monday-Clemson quarterbacks
Tuesday-South Carolina quarterbacks
Wednesday-ACC quarterbacks
Thursday-SEC quarterbacks
Friday-National, High School, NFL

Blog
Monday-Clemson quarterbacks
Tuesday-ACC quarterbacks
Wednesday-Rankings of former Clemson quarterbacks
Thursday-Recruiting of quarterbacks/Misc.
Friday-E-Mail Bag

Clemson Quarterback Preview
One could make an argument that this is the most talented group of quarterbacks Clemson has ever had on one team. The Tigers have a starter back that is listed as a Heisman candidate by some magazines and should be the pre-season All-ACC selection. They are fortunate to have a back-up that could start for most teams in the league and perhaps has a bigger upside than the current starter.

One could argue against this and say Brandon Streeter and Woody Dantzler or Woody Dantzler and Willie Simmons were a better combination but I don't think so.

Cullen Harper had a dream season a year ago. Tell the truth, did you think he would set 21 school records last season?

The rising senior has almost everything you could ask for now including valuable experience. Harper has the height, strength, arm strength, accuracy, mobility, toughness and intelligence to lead this offense to even greater heights.

This time last year I was thinking he would be a guy that defensive coordinators would force him to beat them instead of allowing James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Harper answered the call and now the same defensive coordinators have to pick their poison. Harper made defenses pay last year and is now considered the same threat as Davis, Spiller, Jacoby Ford and Aaron Kelly.

This season will be Rob Spence's fourth at Clemson but it marks the first time he will have a quarterback returning who started the previous year under his guidance. Harper understands the offense and understands how talented the weapons he has been surrounded with.

It is that experience that leads to bigger expectations but he will be hard pressed to repeat his numbers from last season. Consider a year ago Harper completed 282 of 433 passes for 2,991 yards and 27 touchdowns. He broke the school record for touchdown passes by six a year ago. Harper put up these kind of numbers and also limited his turnovers. In fact, Harper threw just six interceptions all season. Last season he also led the conference in passing efficiency and became the first Tiger to do that in 25 years. The Tigers broke the school record for points in a season and turned it over only 12 times in 13 games.

One thing Harper has to guard against now is trying to do too much. He still needs to understand that others around him can win the game also and his greatest strength is his protection of the football.

Harper is respected by his teammates who saw him direct a game winning drive in the final minutes in a hostile environment against South Carolina last season. They saw him complete two passes when the Tigers were faced with third and 18 in the clutch drive. They also saw him do it despite hurting his shoulder the previous week on a diving touchdown.

If Harper plays close to the way he did as a junior then he can help lead this team to its first ACC title since 1991. He will also receive All-ACC, All-American and Heisman consideration. Harper will be one of the quarterbacks at next year's NFL combine as well so things are good for Cullen Harper entering his senior season.

The future looks just as bright with three very talented quarterbacks waiting their turn at Clemson. Willy Korn showed in his limited role last season why he was so highly recruited. I fully expect Korn to be special. In four years I expect to be writing about his All-ACC chances and his ACC title chances. Everything a coach could possibly look for in a quarterback can be found with Korn. This season we will get more of a look at the future when Korn enters the game so get ready to be impressed.

Michael Wade is back at quarterback after spending a year at safety. Wade does not have the skill set of the guys ahead of him but he is a tremendous worker and is respected by his teammates.

If Clemson can make it through the season with both Harper and Korn healthy then there is a good chance Kyle Parker and Jon Richt will red-shirt. Parker's future may get clouded because of his instant success in baseball but his football skills are as good. He has a rocket for an arm and he is confident in his abilities. If he stays with football, Parker will have some interesting battles with Korn.

Richt looked much better as a senior and is another very bright quarterback prospect. His arm strength improved dramatically as a senior. Like Harper, Richt protects the football and does not run it over often.

Clemson would like to sign one quarterback next February and that could increase in priority if Parker's baseball plans take him in another direction. Ryan Mossakowski of Texas and Morgan Newton of Indiana have Clemson offers. The Tigers will take a look at several more quarterbacks in their camps over the next few weeks. In fact, Clemson already likes two quarterbacks on the national scene in the class of 2010.

In summary, Clemson has the best quarterback in the ACC and the best QB unit in the conference. Depth, talent, experience and leadership are all seen in this group. With four talents like this, I would think Spence's assault on the Clemson record book should continue for the next few seasons.

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