Clemson Student To Be the Starting QB Against Clemson
When Furman quarterback Harris Roberts takes the field on Saturday afternoon against Clemson, he’ll be playing against his own school.
Sound confusing? It is.
Roberts is a fifth-year senior who attends Clemson University as a mechanical engineering major. He’s also the starting quarterback for Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.
How is this possible? Roberts wanted to go to school to study mechanical engineering, but Furman didn’t have that major. He also wanted to play college football, and Furman was the only Division 1 school that came calling.
When @ClemsonFB faces @PaladinFootball on Saturday, Harris Roberts will take the field as the Furman quarterback and a Clemson engineering student: https://t.co/Y5dtuLPPGD pic.twitter.com/EGwjjeEbzr
— NCAA (@NCAA) August 29, 2018
So, Furman, as part of its dual degree program, said he could play football at Furman, take his core courses at Furman and then pursue courses in his major at another school that will allow credits to transfer, according to ESPN.
The Clemson campus is just an hour or so from Furman, so it made sense for him to take his mechanical engineering classes there.
Clemson is a powerhouse, ranked second in the country, while the Paladins play in the Southern Conference along with schools like the Citadel, Wofford, Mercer, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State.
The game against the Tigers will be Roberts’ first start for Furman — and what a stage to debut on. He’ll be playing in front of some 80,000 fans in Death Valley against what might be the best team in the country.
In his first year of eligibility, Roberts was on the scout team. The last two years he was the backup quarterback to P.J. Blazejowski, doubling as the extra-point holder last season.
So, on a typical day, Roberts wakes up, works out, drives an hour to Clemson, takes his classes, then drives back to Greenville to attend practice at Furman.
“It’s almost like living two separate lives. It’s weird,” Roberts told his hometown paper, the Forsyth County News, earlier this week.
Clemson is not a typical opponent of Furman, so when Roberts saw the Tigers on the schedule, the uniqueness of his situation became clear.
“I forget which year I found out we were playing Clemson that fifth year and it kind of dawned on me, like, ‘Wow, that’s going to be weird that I’m taking classes at that school and then playing against them on the field.’ It’s going to be a really unique and cool opportunity,” Roberts told the News.
Since the story broke, he has gotten a lot of national attention.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” Roberts told ESPN. “I’ve had people call me about jobs. An engineering firm in Kansas City. A guy at church this past week gave me his business card just because he saw the story.”
Roberts told the News that he is looking forward to the challenge.
“It would be unbelievable, just to play in a stadium that big in front of a huge audience,” he said. “I’m sure the heart would be pounding, the adrenaline would be flowing. It would be such an awesome experience.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney summed it up perfectly: “I guess he can’t lose.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
