Bubba Chandler Takes ‘Safer Route’ to MLB, Says Swinney Fully On Board With Decision

It happened a little later than many thought it would but Clemson officially lost freshman quarterback Bubba Chandler to MLB.

Projected as a first round pick by multiple analysts leading into the draft, Chandler fell a little, before the Pirates selected him with the first pick of the third round.

Speaking to media for one of the first times after being drafted, Chandler said the reward of staying at Clemson was not worth the risk.

“Growing up, my dream was to be a Major League baseball player,” Bubba Chandler told Pittsburgh media Tuesday.  “I couldn’t pass on an opportunity like this. You never know if I went to Clemson in three or four years would the same opportunity present itself? You never know. I took the safer route.”

Chandler said Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney was fully on board with the decision, telling him he will always have a spot if he chooses to ever come back.

“He wasn’t mad about anything,” Chandler said. “The first thing he said was ‘Bubba Chandler, I freakin’ love you kid. You are going to do great.’ He said if you ever want a spot here again, can’t make it or whatever, your jersey is going to be open. That made me feel a lot better.”

While he wasn’t officially enrolled in school yet, Chandler had been on the Clemson campus for close to a month and was very complimentary of his short experience there. As short as his stay was, it wasn’t an easy decision for the two-sport star.

“Everyone up there, whether it was a player or a coach, the cooks at the bistro, they’re top-notch,” Chandler said. “Everyone is a family culture up there. I see now why people are so gung-ho on Clemson University because I got to live it for about three weeks and I loved every second of it.”