Spring Report Card: Quarterbacks

by Trey Manning - Correspondent - Wed Apr 19 08:33:32 GMT-04:00 2006

Spring practice was the first chance for Will Proctor to take over as the starting quarterback. Proctor had waited patiently behind Charlie Whitehurst, and now his time has arrived.

The big chance in the quarterback position is the added mobility Proctor brings to the position. Proctor gives offensive coordinator Rob Spence more flexibility in running his offense.

The staff did not show many of the designed runs for Proctor in the spring. It is no secret that Proctor will be probably have at least 4-5 designed runs a game, because of teams keying on the Tigers’ running backs.

An area where Proctor did look crisp in the spring was throwing on the run. He is comfortable moving outside the pocket and hitting his targets downfield. The biggest separation between Proctor and Cullen Harper and Tribble Reese is going through their progressions. The experience is evident with Proctor as he makes his reads quickly and hits the open receiver. Harper and Reese will need to work on making their progressions quicker, which should come with more experience.

Harper solidified the number two position despite a late charge by Reese. Harper may have the strongest arm of all three quarterbacks. He does have a long delivery, which could be a concern. He has not received a lot reps in his first two years at Clemson, and he should make big strides in the fall.

Reese came on strong towards the end of spring practice. He was actually given a chance to do some work with the twos. Reese has not been very focused his first two years, but the light did come on this spring. He may have the biggest upside of all three quarterbacks, but he will have a difficult task ahead of him to get back in the mix.

Overall, the quarterback position is not without questions. The national media will over emphasize Proctor’s three interceptions in the spring game, and leave out the fact that he was working with only two other offensive starters. Neither Harper nor Reese proved they could handle the load, if Proctor went down. The play was improved in the spring, but there is very little margin for error here.

Grade: B