Clemson Lost Its Backup Quarterback As Pirates Select Him In Third Round

It looks as if Bubba Chandler, the Clemson backup quarterback whom we profiled last week, has decided he loves his brain and will forego a career of hits and play professional baseball instead of football. Obviously we absolutely love football at OutKick, but if you’re a young stud athlete staring down around seven figures to pick clovers for a living, how do you walk away from that? Low impact, high pay, plenty of longevity; baseball is the absolute dream job.

For Chandler, that dream is quickly becoming a reality, as he was drafted by the Pirates in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. The No. 72 overall pick has a slot value of $870,000, but Chandler will likely receive even more than that, assuming he forgoes college and turns professional. Whenever a team selects a high school prospect in the early rounds, a higher salary is typically involved because the team has already negotiated a deal with the player, meaning that Chandler has likely already agreed to walk away from Clemson.

Insiders following this story have long speculated that Chandler would ultimately choose baseball—it was always just a matter of when. The Georgia native was originally committed to UGA to play baseball before receiving the two-sport offer from Clemson. Instead of following in the footsteps of other two-sport prodigies like Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray or staying in school for a few years to improve draft standing, Chandler will likely now go straight to the minors as a teenager. In baseball, these choices aren't necessarily right or wrong; both paths are littered with success stories and tales of burnout. But by making a bold decision, Chandler gives himself an opportunity to pursue one singular goal with total dedication and without distractions. Plus, he has a nice nest egg to live on for a few years as he battles the long road of the minor league system.

Another Clemson freshman in a similar position, Will Taylor, will likely stay in school to play both baseball and football. Taylor also had a chance to get drafted early enough to forego college, but he and his family decided to keep him at Clemson. Taylor played quarterback in high school, but coach Dabo Swinney said Taylor will likely play receiver for the Tigers one day. It will be fun to measure the growth of both Chandler and Taylor against each other as they take separate paths, yet come from very similar circumstances.