Meet Nick Schuessler, your starting QB
By: Ed McGranahan, theclemsoninsider.com
Familiarize yourself with Nick Schuessler.
He’s probably your starting quarterback the next two games.
Deshaun Watson won’t play another snap this season. Cole Stoudt’s confidence is as fragile as tissue paper. And Kelly Bryant and Tucker Israel aren’t eligible until January.
Clemson hasn’t been this thin at quarterback since Ken Hatfield ditched the veer in ’92, switched to the ’bone and drafted Dexter McCleon from the secondary to run it.
Thin might not be strong enough. Let’s call it “challenged” because Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris will be worth every cent of that $5 million you’re paying them if they get Schuessler ready.
Skeptical? Think, “Dylan Thompson.”
Don’t get me wrong. A guy with a lot invested in the Clemson program submitted that this might be Swinney’s best coaching job. It would be difficult to argue the point, though I’m partial to what he did as the interim, galvanizing the fan base, planting the first seeds and beating South Carolina.
Suddenly South Carolina looks a good deal more “challenging” than before Watson went down Saturday within a few steps of the end zone. No wonder Swinney looked somber at halftime and spent after the game.
Imagine the emotion as he explained to Watson that he’d torn an ACL without taking a hit, which was odder than the freaky collarbone injury in April and a good deal more debilitating than the broken hand in October just as he was dragging Clemson back into the national conversation.
Before the season, when these things seemed to matter, Clemson looked like an 8-4 team with Stoudt as the starter unless it caught some breaks and knocked off Georgia or Florida State or Georgia Tech or the aforementioned South Carolina. The defense needed to be as good as it’s been since Georgia, but I wasn’t anticipating immediate return on all the first-year talent at the skill positions including the quarterback from Gainesville, Ga.
Another misstep wouldn’t have been a surprise.
His talent was never a question, but more than once I’ve admitted to being surprised by Watson’s smooth and ability to elevate the performance of those around him. Clemson hasn’t had a quarterback this special since Steve Fuller, who bought into Swinney’s selling job and allowed Watson to wear No. 4.
Other than Robbie Caldwell’s job patching together a representative offensive line each week, the other most surprising turn in this season has been Stoudt’s slow dissolve. This was the young man who took Chad Kelly’s best shot for two years and won the starting job even with Watson on the same field.
Stoudt didn’t have much help at Georgia except when Watson debuted for a series and immediately led a touchdown drive. I remember at the time thinking how natural it seemed for him.
When Stoudt couldn’t hit Jordan Leggett with that little bootleg toss for a touchdown in the Florida State game, it was over. It has been a gradual decline since.
Coming off the bench once for Watson was undoubtedly a punch to the ego (and Louisville might have been that fifth misstep had Devante Parker been healthy), but too do it again after a month of questions about when Watson would return must have been torture.
Stoudt’s a good soldier. When his dad mentioned “transfer” a couple of years ago, Stoudt admonished him. He was the perfect teammate to mentor Watson, to handle the transition with grace and dignity, so it would be embarrassing on Saturday if he comes down The Hill for the final time if a single person boos.
And once Chad Kelly imploded there weren’t any other options. Except for Schuessler.
At 6-foot-3 and about 200 pounds he’s physically similar to Watson and Stoudt. Originally signed with Mississippi State, he transferred to Clemson and joined former Grayson High School teammates Wayne Gallman and Ryan Carter. Robert Nkemdeche, the highly regard defensive lineman who teased Clemson before joining his brother at Ole Miss, lived with Schuessler’s family for a time.
Swinney and Morris have six practices and a game to get Schuessler ready for South Carolina. They’ll probably talk a good bit about putting him in position to “manage” the game rather than win it.
South Carolina has had problems stopping people, and with how Artavis Scott and Wayne Gallman complement the more experienced players that might be enough.
Maybe.
Robert Smith was a productive option quarterback in high school, and Mike Williams took a few snaps before settling in at receiver.
Any other suggestions?
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