Brandon Streeter addresses Clemson's concerning quarterback situation

New Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter has his work cut out for him, starting with a Cheez-It Bowl appearance on Dec. 29. 

The quarterbacks coach turned coordinator upon the departure of former offensive coordinator Tony Elliott inherited an offense that was shockingly underwhelming this season, and now they have just three quarterbacks after the departure of quarterback Taisun Phommachanh to the transfer portal. Those remaining signal-callers are D.J. Uiagalelei and former walk-ons Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles. Per Matt Connolly of ClemsonSports.com, they will both be put on scholarship, but they have little experience.

Who will be the No. 2 heading into Orlando? Streeter addressed that question on Saturday.

“With Hunter, he is a kid that really understands the big picture,” Streeter said. “With any backup quarterback, the message to them is ‘You have to prepare like you’re the starter.’ Same thing with Billy Wiles. Billy Wiles has come on very, very strong. There’s a good little competition right now with Hunter and Billy. They’re making each other better. There’s no question about it.”

Helms is a redshirt freshman, while Wiles is a true freshman. Surprisingly, both players have thrown a touchdown pass in their careers, but they have a total of 17 pass attempts between them this year. Helms had an additional 12 throws last year.

“With just three guys right now, it’s an opportunity for both of them to get a lot of reps,” Streeter added. “Then as a quarterback’s coach, I’m looking for consistency. How consistent can you be with your decision making? And that allows me to have trust in that person. So those are the two things, and they both have done a really, really good job. Obviously, Hunter’s been here a year longer, so he understands that offense maybe a little bit more, but Billy’s coming on really strong too.”

The Cheez-It Bowl kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, and the Tigers are a 1-point favorite.

Clemson offense will look to get back to its old ways in 2022

Once the bowl game is over, Streeter will turn his attention toward next season.

Entering the season, Clemson had the best scoring offense in the country for three consecutive years. Then they went through dramatic turnover, most notably losing quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne to the NFL, and the results were glaring. In total, the Tigers were just the ninth-best scoring offense in the ACC this season, and they were 13th of 14 teams in total yards per contest. 

At the center of the discussion, as with almost any offense, is quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. The sophomore finished the regular season with the worst passer rating in the conference. He threw just nine touchdown passes, and his interception number matched that.

Uiagalelei will be the veteran of the team, but he will no longer be the only former five-star recruit in Clemson’s quarterback room in a few weeks. Early enrollee and No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 class Cade Klubnik will arrive on campus on Jan. 9, and there will be immediate competition for the starting role next season.