Surprise starter at QB for the Tigers
It didn’t take long for head coach Dabo Swinney, in his first full season leading the Tigers, to shake up the establishment.
Swinney announced on Monday that redshirt freshman Kyle Parker, not incumbent Willie Korn, is going to start at quarterback for Clemson in 2009. The decision came as a surprise to most, considering that Korn is easily the most experienced signal-caller on the roster, while Parker has never step foot on the field in a collegiate game.
Swinney did say, however, that he expects Korn to appear in every game this year. Whether that means that the two QBs will split snaps or not, it’s clear that Swinney doesn’t want his inexperienced player to shoulder the entire load, at least not at first.
It remains to be seen whether this move ends up helping or hurting these two. Confidence is a requirement to play well under center, not a bonus, and it’s not hard to envision a scenario in which both guys benefit or suffer as a result of this situation. The Tigers aren’t expected to contend for an ACC title this year, but after years of underachieving with Tommy Bowden at the helm, Clemson fans are hungry for a winner. This move screams of rebuilding, and that’s not something they might be willing to tolerate.
