Clemson Football: QB Bubba Chandler isn’t just a ‘depth’ commitment

Clemson football QB commit Bubba Chandler is more than a ‘depth’ commitment

The 2021 Clemson football recruiting class picked up its 12th commitment earlier this week when 3-star QB Bubba Chandler announced his decision.

Chandler, a previous Georgia baseball commit, reopened his recruitment when Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney and QB coach Brandon Streeter reached out and offered him a scholarship. Chandler jumped on the opportunity to play both football and baseball for the Tigers and committed.

Following the offer from Clemson football, Chandler received several other D-1 offers including Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss and Indiana.

Ultimately, he was never going to turn down the opportunity to play for Swinney and Co. while also continuing his baseball career.

More than a depth commit for Clemson football

While it’s not for certain yet that Chandler will enroll because he will almost certainly be selected in the MLB Draft, the Tigers should feel good about their chances because of the fact that it seems he really wants to continue both his football and baseball careers.

If he was just wanting to focus on baseball, he likely would still be committed to the Bulldogs. Instead, it seems that he is excited about the opportunity to continue developing in both sports.

While many Clemson football fans have referred to Chandler as a ‘depth commit’- and he certainly will provide depth- he is much more than that. If you go watch the film, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

This is a guy who played baseball and missed out on the opportunity for exposure by recruiting services because he didn’t attend many of the elite summer camps.

When you watch him play, you can see the arm talent and it’s clear that the Tigers didn’t just offer the quarterback because they want a guy to fill depth. Am I saying that Chandler will ever be the starting QB at Clemson? No. But what I am saying is that the coaching staff offered him because they really believe he can play and make an impact for the team.

Dabo Swinney is better than any other coach in the country at recognizing talent and picking up commitments from those diamonds in the ruff- keep in mind that Isaiah Simmons was just a 3-star. Don’t completely write-off Chandler because of his star-rating. He has talent, he’s got great football IQ and he has an opportunity to make an impact on both the field and the diamond for the Tigers moving forward.