Upon entering Clemson for the 2007 season, freshman quarterback Willy Korn was hoping to make a name for himself in his home state and on the national scale.
The Tigers lost their all-time leading passer Charlie Whitehurst after the 2005 season.Will Proctor stepped in for a year in 2006 and rode the Clemson defense to an 8-4season.
Ranked as high as the #2 quarterback coming out of high school, Korn was expected to at thevery least compete for the starting job.
Inexperienced junior quarterback Cullen Harper eventually won the starting job and didas well as anyone could have pictured.
Harper saw much success early in the year, but Korn was awarded playing time in the secondand third games. He was eventually injured against Furman and claimed a medical redshirt forhis sophomore year.
Harper was successful that season: a 9-4 record complete with 2,991 passing yards and 27touchdowns, to only 6 interceptions. It was clear who was going to be the 2008 starter.
Upon Harper’s graduation, Korn was slated to win the starting job in 2009. Redshirt freshmanKyle Parker was the number one contender to battle Korn for the starting role,something that Parker eventually accomplished.
Korn had lost the starting battle to Parker, who as a sophomore is the clear-cutstarter for Clemson this year and beyond if he decides to follow his football dreams.
Korn decided to transfer to Marshall where he hoped to be a starter. But an article coming from the Spartanburg Herald-Journal reports that Marshall head coach DocHolliday has confirmed Korn’s switch to safety.
“Sure, he is disappointed."His dream was to be a quarterback. We all have dreams. Unfortunately, his dream didn’t cometrue.”
There is no doubt that Korn had to be upset. Injuries certainly have not treated him well, and hehad battled some awfully good talent at Clemson in Harper and Parker.
It’s hard to picture Korn’s football career extending beyond 2010, whether it be playing orcoaching. His only hope in making a name for himself on the gridiron in a positive fashion is tofollow his coaches, lead his teammates and play well on defense.