The Clemson football program has some decisions to make early on in the summer when it comes to roster management and how it wants to proceed moving forward into the 2021 season.
The Tigers are down to just two quarterbacks on their roster currently with backup Taisun Phommachanh going down with a torn Achilles injury that will hold him out for the season. That leaves starter D.J. Uiagalelei and former third-string Hunter Helms on the depth chart.
Though Uiagalelei and Helms are the only quarterbacks who’ll be on campus to start the summer, they are expected to soon be joined by 4-star Bubba Chandler, 3-star ATH Will Taylor and 3-star Billy Wiles. That will put the number at five for the fall, but none behind Uiagalelei will have any kind of major experience.
There’s also a question surrounding both Chandler and Taylor with their baseball careers. Both signees- especially Chandler- are expected to be taken in the MLB Draft in July and that could lead to them choosing to begin their professional baseball careers rather than attending college.
With these uncertainties, Clemson football could look towards the NCAA Transfer Portal to provide some stability at the position
There’s only one problem: There aren’t many quality options currently in the transfer portal.
Here’s a look at the top names in the portal:
- N’Kosi Perry (Miami)
- Joe Milton (Michigan)
- Tate Martell (Miami)
- Austin Kendall (West Virginia)
- Chris Robinson (Florida Atlantic)
Do any of these names instill a confidence in you that they could come in and beat out Bubba Chandler or even Hunter Helms for the backup position? If you have N’Kosi Perry- who isn’t going to transfer to Clemson to be a backup, anyway- sitting behind Uiagalelei, do you all of a sudden feel better about the Tigers’ chances of winning a game? Probably not.
There are several talented players who enter the portal and there will be quarterbacks who make their way to the portal later this spring and summer. Those are the guys the Tigers need to focus on if they want to take a quarterback.
No offense to any of the names above, but they simply aren’t much of an upgrade to what Clemson football will have on the roster already. While some of them undoubtedly have talent, none of them are winning a National Championship for you if Uiagalelei were to miss extended time.