Three Former Clemson Quarterbacks Find Spots on Historic College Football List

The college football offseason is a time of reflection, and for the Clemson Tigers, the national media is looking back on some of their greats.

In an article by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Clemson quarterbacks Tajh Boyd, Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence all found themselves on a ranking of the sport’s top 100 quarterbacks from the 21st century. Watson and Lawrence both finished in the top 12 on the list.

Only two other schools have that honor: Oklahoma and Texas.

Boyd found himself at No. 97 on the list, with Connelly crediting him for helping “the program get off the mat.” He was successful under the offensive leadership of Chad Morris, throwing for over 3,800 yards and double-digit win totals each season.

He played for head coach Dabo Swinney from 2010-13, finishing his Clemson career with 11,904 passing yards and 107 passing touchdowns, which were program records. A Clemson Hall of Famer who was inducted in 2024, Boyd was an All-ACC player in his final three seasons as the Tigers’ starting signal caller.

But the two ahead of him were even more memorable, especially with their actions of helping bring a national championship to the program.

Lawrence was given the nod at No. 11, exceeding every expectation given to a Clemson quarterback at the time of his taking the role, according to Connelly. He was the main piece to the Tigers’ national championship team in 2018, being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Clemson standout was a flat-out winner, only losing two games over his collegiate career. Both were in the College Football Playoff. He finished his collegiate career with 10,098 passing yards, 90 passing touchdowns, with another 18 coming on the ground.

Connelly also gives him credit for becoming “one of the faces of a rising player advocacy movement”, which occurred during the 2020 season because of COVID restrictions. His actions helped lead others to change guidelines for the campaign.

Watson was given the nod as Clemson’s best quarterback of the 21st century, and although Lawrence has the resume to back it up, the national champion helped change a narrative that the Tigers were once known for.

“Remember when ‘Clemsoning’ meant ‘failing spectacularly on the big stage?’” he writes. “No? That's because Watson came to town and flipped Dabo Swinney's program from good to elite.”

He finished his career as a Tiger with 10,168 passing yards, 90 touchdowns and an additional 26 on the ground. Add on 1,934 rushing yards, and the dual-threat quarterback was the highest-ranked signal-caller that didn’t end up with a Heisman trophy.

Honoring the No. 4 number with Clemson, which was retired by legend Steve Fuller before telling Watson that he could wear it, it’s safe to say the 2016 national champion filled the big shoes.

Now, Swinney looks to the next Clemson great that could be on this list. Will it be a player on the current roster, like Christopher Vizzina? Only time will tell to see if it’s possible.