With Chase Brice’s decision this week to enter the NCAA transfer portal, Clemson now has a void to fill at the backup quarterback spot behind Trevor Lawrence going into the 2020 season.

Of course, there is five-star DJ Uiagalelei, the nation’s top-ranked quarterback prospect who arrived on campus earlier this month as a mid-year enrollee.

But don’t forget about Taisun Phommachanh, another promising QB who quietly made strides in his development while redshirting as a true freshman during the 2019 season.

Quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter has seen Phommachanh make great progress since he enrolled at Clemson last January ahead of spring practice.

“I have seen a lot of improvement,” Streeter recently told The Clemson Insider. “When he came in, in the spring, no quarterback that comes in right away has confidence because they’re trying to learn the system and they’re trying to figure it out. As the spring went on, he got better and better, and he then he made a tremendous amount of improvement over the summer and just felt more and more comfortable with the system and understanding the system. And then this fall has been an awesome year for him. Didn’t get nearly as many reps, other than in preseason camp, and when he did get his reps in practice and in games, he really took advantage of them and I think he really learned a lot of stuff this fall.

“I really believe that by having guys like Trevor and Chase Brice in front of him, it was really good for him to learn under those guys and see how they go into the meetings and how they learn and how they take notes and things like that. So just a ton of improvement, and I’m very, very pleased with where he is.”

Phommachanh appeared in three games for the Tigers this season, completing 6-of-12 passes for 56 yards while also rushing for 56 yards on 12 carries (4.7 average).

The area where Streeter has noticed the most growth from Phommachanh is his knowledge of the game, in addition to both his confidence and accuracy.

“Number one, mentally, just by learning the offense, improving in that and just understanding football, understanding the big picture of football,” Streeter said of Phommachanh’s improvement. “And then once he did that and started understanding that, he gained more and more confidence. But he’s been throwing the ball very, very well. His accuracy has improved a ton, and again, that comes with confidence. But his accuracy has been very, very good and then he’s so explosive as a runner, and that’s what makes him such a threat because he can do it both with his arm and his legs. So just really, really pleased and excited.”

A consensus four-star prospect who was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation coming out of Avon (Conn.) Old Farms School, Phommachanh has grown a lot physically as well.

“He’s probably gained 25 pounds since he got here,” Streeter said. “He weighs like 225 or 227 right now, so he’s a big kid that can really move. So, just excited about the future for him for sure.”

For his high school career, Phommachanh passed for 5,224 yards and 46 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions and also rushed for 1,264 yards and 25 touchdowns.

While it may be difficult for a player as talented as Phommachanh to sit behind Lawrence, Streeter is telling him not to concern himself with the situation or anybody else, but focus solely on being as good of a quarterback as he can possibly be.

“The message to all my guys is just be the best you can be and not try to worry about what the other guy next to you is doing,” Streeter said. “Compete against yourself each and every day, and just be who you are – don’t try to be anybody else. Taisun doesn’t need to try to be Chase Brice or Trevor Lawrence. He just needs to maximize the abilities that he was given, and he’s got a ton of ability. So, just be who you are, try to just take one day at a time and don’t worry about the big picture right now. Just worry about getting better each and every day and let things fall into place.”

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