Clemson Spring Game Primer: Quarterbacks
By John Chancey
When: April 9 at 1 PM, Clemson Memorial Stadium
Position Coach: Brandon Streeter – Streeter continues as the quarterbacks coach while also taking on the offensive coordinator duties. Streeter believes coaching the quarterbacks will give him an advantage as the play caller – he will have direct knowledge of what the quarterbacks are doing well and what they aren’t comfortable with yet.
Who is playing: DJ Uiagalelei (JR), Cade Klubnik (FR-Early Enrollee), Hunter Helms (SO-RS), Billy Wiles (FR-RS)
Who isn’t playing: Hunter Johnson (+SR)
What we can expect for the spring game: Look for Uiagalelei and Klubnik to start, with Helms and Wiles rotating in. Helms started spring practices as the second stringer, but Klubnik has gotten plenty of second-string snaps since. With the spring roster extremely thin at running back, we can expect all the quarterbacks to get lots of work in the passing game.
What we can expect for next season: Uiagalelei is the returning starter, but most observers expect Klubnik to push him for the job. Uiagalelei is noticeably slimmer than he was at the end of the 2021 season, showing that he has worked hard in the eight weeks since the bowl game. The starting job in 2022 is his to lose, but Klubnik appears ready to challenge if he does not play well through the spring and fall.
The coaching staff acknowledges that Klubnik needs to improve his physical conditioning to be ready to manage the rigors of Power Five football, but they feel confident he can get there by the start of the season. Observers report Klubnik’s leadership skills are advanced for a person of his age and experience.
The summer return of Hunter Johnson via transfer from Northwestern will give the Tigers depth and experience. Johnson originally sought a graduate coaching position with Coach Swinney before agreeing to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility.
Johnson can mentor Uiagalelei and Klubnik as a teammate this season and then move to a non-playing role in 2023. Long term, Johnson might be the kind of guy who could slip into the quarterback coaching position one day.