Answers to Clemson QB Depth Questions May Not Reside in Transfer Portal

The moment Taisun Phommachanh went down with an Achilles injury late in the spring game, the questions surrounding the quarterback depth on the Clemson roster started to surface.

Make no mistake, Clemson’s chances at a magical season depend on starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei staying healthy, and always have. Even before the injury to Phommachanh.

As it stands right now, though, walk-ons Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles could be the Tigers backup quarterbacks heading into the 2021 season seeing as Bubba Chandler and Will Taylor are both projected to be first round picks in July’s MLB Draft.

Many have wondered whether Dabo Swinney will dip into the transfer portal to address any depth issues but until the coaching staff knows exactly what they are dealing with they’re basically stuck in a holding pattern. At least until the MLB Draft anyways.

However, while waiting on the draft, the options in the transfer portal have started to dwindle. The only real viable option left appears to be Austin Kendall, a player with one year of eligibility remaining, but a player that has already left two teams (Oklahoma and West Virginia) in search of more playing time.

Whether Kendall would have any interest in spending his final season in Clemson remains to be seen. Especially considering that he would know going in that at best he would be Uiagalelei’s backup, and even that isn’t a given. That might be Helms regardless.

Not to mention would a guy that has already left two programs be the right cultural fit? That’s a question only the coaching staff can answer.

There is another option that isn’t being discussed. While it would not help for the upcoming season, the Tigers could look to add another quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class.

Pretty much all of the top quarterbacks have already committed and are off of the board, but there are still a number of 3-star type, developmental guys still available.

Clemson already has Cade Klubnik committed in the class, so they don’t need another top-flight quarterback. However, if they were to lose Chandler and aren’t able to land anyone via transfer, adding one more quarterback in this class might just be the way to go.