Today it became official that Hunter Johnson will transfer to Northwestern University. He’ll sit out the 2018-2019 season, but be left with 3 years of eligibility after that.

This came as absolutely no surprise at all. We heard that Dabo granted Hunter the transfer release forms after the season, but everyone knew this was coming long before that. Yes, he was the #1 QB in his class, but no one ever saw him as THE guy at Clemson.

Did he deserve more playing time last season? I still stand by the fact that we would have won a national championship again if he were given the opportunity to take over for Kelly Bryant by halftime of the Syracuse game and finish the season as our starter.

Could he have earned playing time in the future? It’s possible, he was clearly a gifted athlete. But even before he arrived on campus, the buzz was all about the next #1 QB who had already committed: Trevor Lawrence.

Hunter Johnson was never going to find a fit at Clemson beyond last season. So, he made the smart decision to transfer to a team where he will not only get to start at QB, but also have the chance to take an up-and-coming team to a new level. I’m buying stock in Northwestern. Anyone who wants to take an even money bet that Northwestern wins the B1G before he graduates can find me on Twitter dot com @clemsoncarl, my DMs are open.

I really hate to see Hunter go, especially after all the “what-if’s” from last season, but his leaving is just a sign of how great things will be in the foreseeable future for Clemson. Welcome to the new era of Clemson football. Step aside, Newspring Church, we’re converting to the Church of Lawrence.