TALE OF TWO QUARTERBACKS

With the start of the College football season just a couple of weeks away, there are two Quarterbacks that continue to be in the news together. I am talking about Clemson QB Kyle Parker and former Clemson QB Willy Korn. Last year they were battling each other on the practice field to see who was going to be Clemson's new starting QB. As we know Kyle Parker beat out Willy Korn and led the Tigers to the ACC Atlantic Division Title and a birth in the ACC Championship Game. Since the end of last football season, both QB's continued to be in the news with Willy Korn deciding to transfer to Marshall and Kyle Parker having an outstanding season for the Tigers baseball team fueling speculation as whether he might be a high draft pick in the Major League Baseball draft. While leading the Tigers to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska the Colorado Rockies made Kyle Parker the 26th pick of the first round in the MLB draft. Willy Korn was preparing to go to Marshall University and win the starting QB position for the Thundering Herd. Kyle Parker and his family had set the date of July 20th to sign with the Rockies to play baseball only. Reportedly the Parkers wanted $3 million to play only baseball and the Rockies offered $2.2 million. So around midnight on the 20th Kyle Parker informed Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney that he was going to play football this fall. As the fall camps for College football teams began to open around the country the speculation about whether Willy Korn could go to Marshall and beat out 4 or 5 other QB's for the starting job began to mount. Down at Clemson, as Kyle Parker was going through fall practice with the Tigers, the speculation of would he and the Rockies come to a contract agreement by the August 16 deadline was on the news and sports talk shows on a daily basis. Up at Marshall late last week the news surfaced that Willy Korn was not going to be the starting QB for the Thundering Herd. He was not going to be a QB at all for the Herd. He was 5th on the depth chart and Marshall Head Coach Doc Holiday was moving Korn to Safety. Reports were that Willy Korn was ok with the move. Korn was not present at the Marshall fan day on Sunday fueling speculation that he might be thinking of transferring. Back at Clemson the news all day on Monday the 16th was will he or won't he sign with the Rockies. Minutes before midnight Kyle Parker and the Rockies came to and agreement and he signed a contract for $1.4 million. It cost Kyle Parker $800,000 to play football for the Clemson Tigers this fall. I know Clemson is a great place but $800,000 great! He must not need the money like I do. Meanwhile in the Willy Korn camp, the speculation about Korn transferring again turned out to be true as he has now enrolled at Division 2 North Greenville University. Surely he can win the starting QB job with the Crusaders as they are in bad need for a QB! The stories of these two young QB's continue to be interesting and connected and The ArmChair Coach wishes both of them the best.

DID YOU KNOW? Kyle Parker is the only Division 1 athlete to throw 20 TD passes and hit 20 HR's in the same school year. He did it during the 2009-2010 school year.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 0 GAME

Gaffney @ Boiling Springs..... The Gaffney Indians were 10 and 4 last season losing to eventual State Champion Dorman in the state semi-finals. The Boiling Springs Bulldogs were 8 and 3 last year and banned from the playoffs. I don't see many points in this one..... Gaffney 19 Boiling Springs 10

To see a more in depth preview of this game go to Tribe Blitz. There is a link on this page.

Until Next Time.