2007 Clemson Quarterback Outlook
By: Roy Philpott
Give Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Rob Spence credit.
From day one, they let it be known that freshman quarterback Willy Korn wouldn’t be given a free pass to the top of the depth chart. Of course, Korn knew that from the beginning, but many fans did not.
As one of the most highly rated quarterbacks to ever sign with the Tigers, some expected Korn to be anointed the starter immediately after setting foot on campus- especially with senior quarterback Will Proctor moving on at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
However, both Bowden and Spence maintained throughout spring practice that Korn would have to earn every move he made up the depth chart.
And move he did. By the time spring practice came to an end, Korn have moved from the fourth team to the second team, nipping at the heels of starter Cullen Harper.
Still, as spring practice came to a close, Bowden maintained that Harper was his guy … or did he?
"He will have to do something to lose it (starting position) between now and then and that would be out of character for Cullen,” he said after the Orange & White game. “He is a hard worker who has been consistent all spring. We will meet next week to determine a pecking order at that position."
Just moments later, Bowden said the following about Korn:
“A high school guy coming in and doing the things we ask our quarterbacks to do like run checks, protections, reads and things like that, it has been an awful heavy opportunity thrown his way and we have been really pleased with the way he has responded,” Bowden said. “He definitely has shown that he belongs in the hunt.”
What does it all mean? It means Clemson fans should keep their seatbelts fastened during fall practice because the Tigers will have two quarterbacks competing for playing time.
Harper may get the start against Florida State, but don’t be surprised if Korn plays.
Here’s a quick recap of each scholarship quarterback currently on Clemson’s roster:
CULLEN HARPER: Entering the start of fall camp, redshirt junior Cullen Harper is THE starting quarterback. During spring practice he was the top performer of all signal callers, including a strong showing in the Orange & White game where he completed 15-of-25 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Is Harper more talented than his back up, Willy Korn? No. But he has more experience and seems to be a good game manager. Considering the Tigers will start two of the top running backs in the country next year in C.J. Spiller and James Davis that may be the best skill for Clemson’s starting quarterback to have. From what I saw in three major scrimmages this spring, Harper is accurate in the pocket and on the move but may need to improve his touch on the deep ball to strengthen his hold on the starting position.
Keep in mind Harper completed 42-of-66 passes for 457 yards and five touchdowns in Clemson’s three stadium scrimmages. The most impressive statistic of all – NO interceptions. How you’d like to put those stats into those last three games last season? I know I would. I realize it’s spring practice, but Harper’s demeanor, control of the offense and generally delivery of the football was encouraging.
WILLY KORN: A true freshman, Korn is clearly the quarterback of the future at Clemson. The question remains, does that future include the upcoming season? Many would argue “yes,” pointing to the fact he jumped from fourth on the depth chart to second in just 15 practices this spring. He also has a good arm and produced at a high level this spring. Some would argue “no” given that Harper seems to have a good grasp of the offense and Korn would be better suited to red-shirt his freshman year. The truth is Korn will likely see the field this fall, regardless of what Harper does. He is too talented and understands the game off the field- including leadership and work ethic to have him sit on the bench a year. However to compete more effectively with Harper, he will have to prove he isn’t what he is- a freshman. That means not forcing the ball into double coverage, throwing the ball away when given the opportunity and using his mobility to create first downs when the pocket collapses.
TRIBBLE REESE: Reese was expected to be the starter by this point in his career after signing with Clemson in 2005 out of Alabama’s Mountain Brook High School. For whatever reasons, that hasn’t happened. While his stock did increase this spring, he does not figure into Clemson’s game plan this season unless the unthinkable occurs to either Harper or Korn. All things considered, he’s a good option for a No. 3 guy and he has some tools to get the job done.
MICHAEL WADE: A redshirt freshman, Wade is currently fourth on the Tigers’ post-spring depth chart. A serviceable quarterback that caught the eye of Spence during camp last year, Wade figures to continue to work on his game this year in hopes of playing on down the line. The problem is with Korn ahead of him on the depth chart that may be difficult to do.
OVERVIEW: Hate the two-quarterback system? It may be something Clemson fans have to deal with through the first half of the 2007 season, if not lot longer. Harper is good but Korn offers more long term potential. How that translates into the 2007 season is anybody’s guess, but don’t be surprised if Bowden lets both quarterbacks play in the season opener against FSU. The good news is that both Harper and Korn know how to hand the ball off to Spiller and Davis. Judging how the season ended last year, it seems like a safe bet the focus this year will be on the ground game.
REMINDER: It’s quarterbacks week on our morning show, RUSH HOUR. Today we discussed Clemson’s quarterback situation while tomorrow we will breakdown the entire ACC. Later in the week we will talk about South Carolina’s quarterbacks, as well as the SEC. Tune in from 6 to 9 AM or at 104.9 FM The Drive in upstate South Carolina or anywhere in the world at http://www.wccpfm.com/.
PARTING SHOT: Have you watched the Boston College and Florida State games from last year? It's hard to believe the quarterback that started those two games was the same one that started the last five. For as much as I've heard Will Proctor thrown under the bus (yes I did it too), he did have some strong performances in just one year of action as a starter. Still, the bottom line is whoever Clemson's starting quarterback is in '07 needs to maintain a certain level of confidence - even when things go bad. Harper and Korn appear to have the mentality to do just that.
Give Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Rob Spence credit.From day one, they let it be known that freshman quarterback Willy Korn wouldn’t be given a free pass to the top of the depth chart. Of course, Korn knew that from the beginning, but many fans did not.
As one of the most highly rated quarterbacks to ever sign with the Tigers, some expected Korn to be anointed the starter immediately after setting foot on campus- especially with senior quarterback Will Proctor moving on at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
However, both Bowden and Spence maintained throughout spring practice that Korn would have to earn every move he made up the depth chart.
And move he did. By the time spring practice came to an end, Korn have moved from the fourth team to the second team, nipping at the heels of starter Cullen Harper.
Still, as spring practice came to a close, Bowden maintained that Harper was his guy … or did he?
"He will have to do something to lose it (starting position) between now and then and that would be out of character for Cullen,” he said after the Orange & White game. “He is a hard worker who has been consistent all spring. We will meet next week to determine a pecking order at that position."
Just moments later, Bowden said the following about Korn:
“A high school guy coming in and doing the things we ask our quarterbacks to do like run checks, protections, reads and things like that, it has been an awful heavy opportunity thrown his way and we have been really pleased with the way he has responded,” Bowden said. “He definitely has shown that he belongs in the hunt.”
What does it all mean? It means Clemson fans should keep their seatbelts fastened during fall practice because the Tigers will have two quarterbacks competing for playing time.
Harper may get the start against Florida State, but don’t be surprised if Korn plays.
Here’s a quick recap of each scholarship quarterback currently on Clemson’s roster:
CULLEN HARPER: Entering the start of fall camp, redshirt junior Cullen Harper is THE starting quarterback. During spring practice he was the top performer of all signal callers, including a strong showing in the Orange & White game where he completed 15-of-25 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Is Harper more talented than his back up, Willy Korn? No. But he has more experience and seems to be a good game manager. Considering the Tigers will start two of the top running backs in the country next year in C.J. Spiller and James Davis that may be the best skill for Clemson’s starting quarterback to have. From what I saw in three major scrimmages this spring, Harper is accurate in the pocket and on the move but may need to improve his touch on the deep ball to strengthen his hold on the starting position.
Keep in mind Harper completed 42-of-66 passes for 457 yards and five touchdowns in Clemson’s three stadium scrimmages. The most impressive statistic of all – NO interceptions. How you’d like to put those stats into those last three games last season? I know I would. I realize it’s spring practice, but Harper’s demeanor, control of the offense and generally delivery of the football was encouraging.
WILLY KORN: A true freshman, Korn is clearly the quarterback of the future at Clemson. The question remains, does that future include the upcoming season? Many would argue “yes,” pointing to the fact he jumped from fourth on the depth chart to second in just 15 practices this spring. He also has a good arm and produced at a high level this spring. Some would argue “no” given that Harper seems to have a good grasp of the offense and Korn would be better suited to red-shirt his freshman year. The truth is Korn will likely see the field this fall, regardless of what Harper does. He is too talented and understands the game off the field- including leadership and work ethic to have him sit on the bench a year. However to compete more effectively with Harper, he will have to prove he isn’t what he is- a freshman. That means not forcing the ball into double coverage, throwing the ball away when given the opportunity and using his mobility to create first downs when the pocket collapses.
TRIBBLE REESE: Reese was expected to be the starter by this point in his career after signing with Clemson in 2005 out of Alabama’s Mountain Brook High School. For whatever reasons, that hasn’t happened. While his stock did increase this spring, he does not figure into Clemson’s game plan this season unless the unthinkable occurs to either Harper or Korn. All things considered, he’s a good option for a No. 3 guy and he has some tools to get the job done.
MICHAEL WADE: A redshirt freshman, Wade is currently fourth on the Tigers’ post-spring depth chart. A serviceable quarterback that caught the eye of Spence during camp last year, Wade figures to continue to work on his game this year in hopes of playing on down the line. The problem is with Korn ahead of him on the depth chart that may be difficult to do.
OVERVIEW: Hate the two-quarterback system? It may be something Clemson fans have to deal with through the first half of the 2007 season, if not lot longer. Harper is good but Korn offers more long term potential. How that translates into the 2007 season is anybody’s guess, but don’t be surprised if Bowden lets both quarterbacks play in the season opener against FSU. The good news is that both Harper and Korn know how to hand the ball off to Spiller and Davis. Judging how the season ended last year, it seems like a safe bet the focus this year will be on the ground game.
REMINDER: It’s quarterbacks week on our morning show, RUSH HOUR. Today we discussed Clemson’s quarterback situation while tomorrow we will breakdown the entire ACC. Later in the week we will talk about South Carolina’s quarterbacks, as well as the SEC. Tune in from 6 to 9 AM or at 104.9 FM The Drive in upstate South Carolina or anywhere in the world at http://www.wccpfm.com/.
PARTING SHOT: Have you watched the Boston College and Florida State games from last year? It's hard to believe the quarterback that started those two games was the same one that started the last five. For as much as I've heard Will Proctor thrown under the bus (yes I did it too), he did have some strong performances in just one year of action as a starter. Still, the bottom line is whoever Clemson's starting quarterback is in '07 needs to maintain a certain level of confidence - even when things go bad. Harper and Korn appear to have the mentality to do just that.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 10:19 AM
8 Comments
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8 Comments:
Proctor has been alienated by most Clemson fans it seems, and it's not fair. The kid was on for the 2 games you mentioned Roy. At the time, the win over FSU was one of the biggest of the Bowden era, especially on the ROAD! HIs confidence faded and there's no doubt we need our QB this year to have MUCH MORE THROUGHOUT THE SEASON! Good blog read for a Monday by the way.
Of course Protor was good, he was forced to throw, rather than throw when was comfortable for him. Also personally, I think if he had played the whole game in maybe one of those creamcake games, like temple, it would have been good for his confidence
Roy wrote - "Considering the Tigers will start two of the top running backs in the country next year in C.J. Spiller and James Davis that may be the best skill for Clemson’s starting quarterback to have."
I think we said the same thing about Proctor last year.
A QB must be able to do more than just manage the game. At times a qb MUST be able to make plays. All a defense needs to do against a qb that manages a game is load the box and make the qb win the game, and we know how that turns out.
Well I really wish Proctor would have gotten his confidence back but I think a couple weeks of not having to throw the ball against the cupcakes and then being embarrassed by VT hurt him bad and he never recovered.
If Proctor had one more year I really think he could of been something better for Clemson, but we asked a lot for a 1st yr starter and I hope the fans take it easy on both Harper and Willy this year. But either way, I cannot wait to see a 20-30 yard pass being used consistently and then see what JD or CJ do with a less restricted line of scrimmage.
I think you guys will struggle all year deciding who your QB will be. Korn is just too fresh and harper hasn't seen all that much action either. I think you'll see even more running this year than last year. Plus without your defensive playmaker, you will struggle to stop the opponents drive.
More running? Good. That's what we want!
Thank God Proctor does not have a year left.
"More running? Good. That's what we want!"
Only if we have a line to block. I'd like more of a balance.
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