Clemson quarterback Chase Brice entered the Tigers' Week 5 game against Syracuse with eight career passing attempts. After starter Trevor Lawrence was injured — and former starter Kelly Bryant transferred last week — Brice exited Week 5 as the engineer of a season-saving comeback win.
Who is Chase Brice?
Brice is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound redshirt freshman from Grayson, Ga., where he led Grayson High School to a 40-7 record as a four-year starting quarterback and the 2016 state championship. As a senior in 2016, he completed 173 of 269 passes for 2,830 yards, and earned a three-star rating from most recruiting services. He was 247Sports' 393rd-ranked overall player and 17th-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2017 class and honored his December 2015 verbal commitment by signing with the Tigers in February 2017.
Brice enrolled at Clemson that summer and redshirted as a freshman last season as Kelly Bryant led the Tigers to their third straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. He entered spring camp fourth on the depth chart behind Bryant, true freshman Trevor Lawrence and fellow 2017 signee Hunter Johnson.
Johnson transferred after spring practice, Bryant transferred after Week 4 and Lawrence was injured in the first half vs. Syracuse, sending Brice, who attempted eight passes in their first three games, into the game. He went 7-for-13 for 83 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions (and had a 17-yard run) in the comeback win.
"Moxie. Winner. Big arm. Great athlete," Swinney said of Brice before the game. "…And if you just watch his tape, he’s a little Brett Favre-ish, you know? I don’t want to compare him to Brett Favre. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying he’s a little unorthodox sometimes and he’s just got this moxie to him, man. He just finds a way. He’s tough.”
Clemson hasn't released any long-term prognosis for Lawrence but for now, Chase Brice is the Tigers' starting quarterback.