position breakdown: quarterback

May 10, 2004, 12:34 PM

ROSTER QUARTERBACKS

6. Charlie Whitehurst (RS JR, 6'4", 200)
With apologies to Steve Fuller, Whitehurst is clearly already the best passer in Clemson history and, while he'll be pressed by UNC's Darian Durant and FSU's mercurial-but-talented Chris Rix, is probably already the best returning QB in the ACC as a rising junior. Has the package physically and is a threat to throw for 300+ every game, and is a natural leader with the leadership ability and intangibles guys like Rix do not have. Best in the pocket but is probably at least a 4.7-type guy who can scramble surprisingly well and has gotten better at firing on the move.

14. Will Proctor (RS SO, 6'3", 195)
Is so obscured by Whitehurst he might as well be in Witness Protection, but Proctor is fairly talented in his own right. He was listed as high as the #16 QB in the country coming out of high school (was an upper-end three-star-rated guy) and is another big, tall QB and a fine athlete who has filled at wideout in the past...he can run, and he's elusive when he's pressured out of the pocket. He also fires very well on the move...in fact perhaps looks best firing on the move. His emergence this Spring gave the Tiger coaches the confidence to move super-athlete C.J. Gaddis to corner...in the past, the knocks on Proctor were his so-so arm strength, presence in the pocket and his tendency to double-clutch and hold the ball, and then fire it late. But he's made giant steps delivering the ball on time, and he stands in and puts a lot more mustard on the ball than he used to...he still doesn't have Whitehurst's arm or poise, but he's progressed to the point he's clearly become a quality backup and a guy who can run the offense if need be, with less drop-off than many would expect.

11. Russ Lowther (Walk-on JR, 6'1", 205)
I'm including Lowther here because he's legitimately Clemson's #3 QB, and unlike many walk-ons he's not an afterthought or incidental training-camp fodder...Lowther has legit QB skills and would probably have a shot at starting for a good many D1-AA or D2-level schools. The Darlington walk-on is not big, nor does he have a Howitzer for an arm or any notable running ability, but he flashes poise in the pocket, delivers the ball with confidence and fairly decent accuracy, and shows a grasp of the offense that may be superior even to Proctor's. If pressed into service he'd probably acquit himself fairly well and it certainly wouldn't be a train wreck...Lowther has definite value and his presence, I suspect, contributed to the coaches having the confidence to move both Stuckey and Gaddis.

INCOMING QUARTERBACKS

Tribble Reese (Incoming class of '04, 6'3", 195)
Reese is a phenom on film. He has a lightning-quick release, has uncanny touch on deep balls like the post and fade, and can zip through a progression of reads as well as any high school QB I've ever seen...physically, he's a Charlie Whitehurst clone (and like Whitehurst, can pull the ball down and scoot when pressed) and the mental part of his game is unusually polished for a high school player (though his SAT score of 1360 gives you some idea where the mental polish comes from.) Clemson absolutely stole Reese, IMHO, because he didn't start until he was a high school senior...O'Cain and Swinney bagged him early, and by the time teams like LSU and NC State start sniffing around the Tigers already had him.

Cullen Harper (Incoming class of '04, 6'3", 200)
As good as Reese looked on film, I'm not quite ready to anoint him Whitehurst's successor because Cullen Harper is an intriguing prospect in his own right. Like Whitehurst he was hurt for most of his senior season (broken collarbone), so he's a bit of an X-factor. One intriguing thing that stands out about him is his accuracy: Harper completed over 70% of his passes, firing from a hardly QB-friendly run-oriented Wing-T offense. His 4.8-type speed isn't quite equal to Reese's, but it's decent for a pocket passer, and Harper is fairly athletic as well, and played hoops as well as football in high school. Gurus like Cris Ard claim Harper could well have been a four-star-rated guy with a couple dozen offers if he hadn't been hurt, and again, Harper is a Mike O'Cain pick, which carries its own weight...regardless, whoever wins the battle between Reese and Harper is likely to be very talented indeed. For certain Clemson looks absolutely loaded at the QB position for years to come.

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position breakdown: quarterback

good stuff. keep these coming!***

good analysis... and thank God for Mike O'Cain.

Good Breakdown. Hadn't really thought about Lowther

Great job! Eagerly anticipating the next installement!*

Re: Great job! Eagerly anticipating the next installement!*

Just think, if you were a USC fan it wouldn't have taken

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