When Deshaun Watson came to Clemson three years ago, the coaching staff felt like Watson had the chance to be pretty special. However, they did not assume anything.
Instead, they let him go compete against senior Cole Stoudt and redshirt sophomore Chad Kelly to see how he would do. So Watson fell in line and went to work.
“We thought Deshaun was going to be pretty good, but he had some developing to do physically and all of that,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “All you can do is go through the process and evaluate. There is so much that goes into it. We have to get some water under the bridge before I can really evaluate that.”
Like in 2014, Swinney and the coaching staff will have another true freshman quarterback to evaluate when spring practice begins on March 1. Hunter Johnson, the Tigers’ five-star quarterback from Indiana, enrolled in school last month so he could compete for the starting job now that Watson has moved on to the NFL.
Johnson is expected to compete with junior Kelly Bryant, redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper and redshirt sophomore Tucker Israel for the starting job. However, heading into spring practice, Swinney says he has no expectations for his freshman quarterback.
“I don’t ever assume anything. I really don’t,” Swinney said. “I think that he has incredible skill set. He is as talented as any guy we have signed. I don’t think there is any question about that, but you just have to go to work. That is what Deshaun did.”
Johnson was a four-year starter at Brownsburg, Ind., where he set school records for passing yards (6,657) and touchdowns (69). This past fall, he earned Mr. Football honors in the state of Indiana by passing for 2,233 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also rushed for 525 yards and three more scores.
Johnson was rated as the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the country and as the No. 18 overall player by Rivals. He was also the No. 1 prospect coming out of the state of Indiana.
“As far as just his potential, it is off the chart, tremendous,” Swinney said. “He has a great arm. He is a lot bigger than Deshaun was coming in. He is bigger, heavier, he has the skill set, but how does it translate. You just never know until you start coaching a guy. I just think you make a big mistake as a coach when you assume those things.”
Swinney says Johnson has a lot of work in front of him, but one thing he has already noticed about his newest quarterback is that he is willing to put the work in.
“He is one of those driven guys. He is highly, highly self-motivated and it is very easy to notice that, but how does he translate and how does he process once we start getting the installation going,” Swinney said. “How does he transition to the speed of the game with the decision making and the size of everyone and the timing?
“In high school this is your margin for error, in college it goes to here and in the pros it goes to there. How does he transition? I don’t know until we get out there and go let him compete. He will certainly have that opportunity this spring.”
We are now taking orders for our limited edition magazine Mission Accomplished. Remember Clemson’s championship season with this great magazine from the staff that covers Clemson football 365 days a year. Order yours today to make sure you get a copy!
