Where Clemson’s QB situation stacks up

As far as quarterback situations go along the college football landscape, Clemson once again finds itself in a QB competition that has become one of the intriguing storylines heading into the next season.

Will returning starter DJ Uiagalelei remain the starter throughout the season? Or will highly touted freshman Cade Klubnik step in and earn the starting job? What we don’t know now will be answered, at some point at least.

The uncertainties around who will be Clemson’s quarterback and how they will look under center have created a cloudy outlook for the Tigers next season.

Though there is talent in the QB room for the Tigers, ESPN’s David M. Hale believes Clemson’s QB situation isn’t in a good place right now.

According to Hale’s article ranking all 131 college football quarterback situations in tiers, Hale ranks Clemson’s QB situation as a Tier 11 situation in the college football landscape.

Here’s what Hale had to say:

Tier 11: Maybe this is the year they put it all together (five players, four jobs)

Oregon’s Bo Nix
Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz
Georgia Tech’s Jeff Sims
Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik

Nix, Mertz, Sims and Uiagalelei were all blue-chip recruits and started games as freshmen. Nix knocked off Oregon in a marquee win to open his career. Sims staged a dramatic comeback over Florida State. Mertz was nearly perfect (20-of-21 passing) in his starting debut against Illinois. Uiagalelei threw for 342 yards filling in for Trevor Lawrence against Boston College. All four were supposed to become superstars. Instead, Nix transferred, Sims and Mertz have been mediocre at best, and Uiagalelei was one of the worst statistical QBs in the country last season, despite Clemson winning 10 games, and he could easily lose his job to Klubnik, another highly touted freshman, if he doesn’t take a major step forward this season.

I understand where Hale is coming from here, but I can’t entirely agree with his Tier 11 ranking. His…