With senior Kelly Bryant, redshirt freshman Chase Brice and true freshman Trevor Lawrence on the depth chart, something had to give in the Clemson quarterback room by the time spring practice came to a conclusion.
That's exactly what happened Monday as former five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson decided to transfer from the program. According to 247Sports, Purdue and Northwestern could emerge as immediate options for the Brownsburg, Indiana, native. If Johnson transfers to an FBS program, he will have to sit out a year before becoming eligible for three more seasons.
Here are three things to know about Johnson's transfer and what it means for Clemson going forward.
1. Johnson's departure leaves no experience behind Bryant: Johnson played in seven games for the 2017 ACC champion Tigers as a true freshman, serving as one of Kelly Bryant's backups. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, though he got the bulk of his work against The Citadel, when he went 7 of 8 for 144 yards and a score. He also completed all five of his passes and threw a touchdown in a 28-14 win over Wake Forest.
No other quarterback on the Clemson roster has attempted a pass in college. So while Bryant is the front-runner to retain the job, make no mistake, it still is a battle. Coach Dabo Swinney said in April after spring practice wrapped up that the then four-man battle could bleed all the way into the season opener against Furman. "Regardless of where we are today we've got a long way to go before we play in September, and no matter what happens in September I don't think the competition's just going to end," Swinney said, per the State. "I think we've got guys on the roster that are going to be driven each and every day to either be the guy or beat the guy out or make the guy better or whatever it may be."
2. The door is wide open for Lawrence: The top-ranked player in the state of Indiana in 2017, the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in his cycle and the No. 30 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite, Johnson made it difficult for Lawrence to be the true heir apparent for the Clemson quarterback position. With four years of eligibility remaining and Johnson now out the door, it makes it more likely that Lawrence -- an early enrollee who was the top-ranked player in the country in the Class of 2018 -- will earn playing time right out of the gate with the Tigers.
Lawrence went 11 of 16 for 122 yards and one touchdown without a pick in the Clemson spring game. Those weren't normal "spring game stats," either. On his first drive of the game, Lawrence hit presumed No. 1 deep threat Tee Higgins on a 50-yard strike down the sideline with ease. At that point, Lawrence announced his presence in the battle to the world, and showed that the hype surrounding his signing was real.
3. Johnson is the third quarterback to leave the program this offseason: While the quarterback room is still stacked for Swinney's Tigers, Johnson's departure wasn't the only loss this offseason. Zerrick Cooper announced in mid-January that he would leave the program, and he eventually found his way to FCS Jacksonville State. Cooper came in temporarily for an injured Bryant in the loss to Syracuse in late September 2017. The former four-star dual threat quarterback from the Class of 2016 went 25 of 41 for 256 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions over the course of the season. Former three-star prospect Tucker Israel also announced his transfer in January.