Clemson Football: How will the Tigers use their extra scholarship?

Option #4: He will give it to a walk-on

Here it is. The option so many fans dislike. The option so many fans don’t want to acknowledge.

Yet it is a very real option and the one that Coach Swinney has used the most in the past. Swinney was a walk-on at Alabama.

Let’s also be honest: Swinney doesn’t have a bad track record here. As we mentioned in the introduction, two of the walk-ons he awarded scholarships – Helms and Thomas – could be key backups for the 2023 season. Their roles aren’t trivial.

Lest we forget the name Hunter Renfrow.

That said, it’s a new age and there are probably better ways to utilize a scholarship in 2023, but this option could still be used in conjunction with other options, specifically an extra 2024 recruit. If the scholarship was awarded to a walk-on with one year remaining, it will still be available in 2024 for a high school prospect. It would even be available for a prospect from the transfer portal next December, but I’m not sure that option is worth diving into right now.

Nonetheless, if this is what happens, Message Board Geniuses will have a field day with the inevitable posts that will be generated. I’d kinda like to read those, actually.