Trent Pearman shows moxie, that he's a team player in effort

Trent Pearman showed plenty to Clemson folks in his spring game performance.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Apr 09 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON – Trent Pearman walked into the interview room underneath Clemson Memorial Stadium late Saturday afternoon, dropped his helmet and eyed the 20-plus media members waiting to ask him questions.

“I’m more nervous doing this than I was during the game,” Pearman said, laughing as he took a seat.

He didn’t look nervous during the spring game; that same low-key approach served him well during the interview session.

Pearman introduced himself to the Clemson faithful with a solid performance during the annual Orange and White Game, outpacing the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. Incumbent Cade Klubnik completed 13 of 26 passes for 158 yards and an interception that was returned 46 yards. Christopher Vizzina went 14-for-25 for 108 yards with two interceptions.

Pearman completed 13 of 18 passes for 141 yards, including a beautiful throw to freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco in the end zone for a score. He rushed eight times for 62 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown.

A true team player, Pearman downplayed his performance.

“I just try to do my job,” Pearman said. "Whether that's helping Cade or going out there and helping the team, I just try to do whatever my role is and maximize it. It obviously felt good, but I didn't do it all by myself. I mean, a lot of credit goes to the quarterback, but I can think back to the slant ball to Adam (Randall). I was behind him, and he bailed me out. A lot of the guys helped me out.”

Pearman walked on at Clemson after a storied career at nearby Daniel High School. His other offer was from UAB, but if his dad Danny Pearman wasn’t on staff at Clemson, which led many to believe that Clemson was his choice no matter what, he would have drawn plenty of interest.

Instead, Pearman chose to walk on and battle for a spot. A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina, he finished with a 24-0 career record as starting quarterback, completing 455-of-599 career passes for 6,555 yards and 80 touchdowns with an additional 476 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He guided Daniel High School to its first state title in 22 years in 2020 and then another state title in 2021.

Pearman led the state in passing yards (3,769), passing touchdowns (45) and completions (291) in posting a 14-0 record as a senior.

“We really believe in this kid,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “This guy threw for a gajillion yards in high school. He’s a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, and you don’t get lucky and win back-to-back state championships. He has a lot of moxie and gamesmanship that comes naturally to him. He has complete ownership of what we do. Nobody knows much about him or talks about him, but he’s been consistent like that in practice for the last year or so.”

Pearman said that as the son of a coach, he’s been a student of the game his entire life.

“My dad, he's done so much for me. I can think back to when I was a kid, Monday through Sundays were football,” Pearman said. “I'll go to his practice, have mine Monday through Friday, his game Saturday, and then break down his game and watch NFL all Sunday...This is my life. I love it, and he's helped me out a lot, and this is a great coaching staff. Then have Coach (Garrett) Riley and just in the QB room, Paul (Tyson), he helps us out a lot and Tajh (Boyd). Just a lot of dudes that help feed into all of us quarterbacks.”

As a student of the game, it helps him with his pre-snap and post-snap reads.

“I say it helps me out a little bit. I like to think I'm a little smart quarterback,” Pearman said. “I know the game, but I have a lot to learn and just try and do the best I can.”

Pearman stuck with the theme of the day – distributing credit elsewhere the same way he distributes the football – by crediting Wesco for the fade and the touchdown.

“Oh, he's a baller. He will help us out. He'll help us win games on Saturday,” Pearman said. "Coach Riley gave an inside zone, and he told me if I like a matchup, I can call fade, and anytime I see 12 (Wesco) one-on-one, you're going to take it.”

When asked about the moxie Swinney mentioned, he said he’s simply a player who will give it his all.

“I'm not a guy who's 6-6. I'm not going to throw it 85 yards,” Pearman said. “But I'm someone who's going to compete and just try to give it their all. And one thing I know is effort doesn't go in a slump, so I just try to give the best effort and give all I can.”