Called an audible this week for a couple of reasons, namely because I think this is important, but also because I ended up writing about David Sills V. Did you know he’s close to a scratch golfer and was a state champion wrestler when he was younger? Impressive kid who, we suppose, has to take on a bigger role in the offense.

“Even when USC was recruiting him, they kind of had a thought that he could play this way as well,” Clarkson said. “As a quarterback, that’s what made him so intriguing. He’s such a great athlete, and no one saw that as a 13-year-old.

“I saw it, but he was seen as a pro-style quarterback, or whatever you call it, and he was miscast his entire career. People saw him as a drop-back guy and didn’t think he was a good athlete, which was stupid.”

It was just one day, and that wasn’t enough to completely validate Clarkson’s strong opinions of Sills, but it might also be true that the first game was just the beginning. Clarkson has compared the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sills to 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel before, and he’s not backing away now.

“I think he’s a taller version,” Clarkson said. “I think it’s an accurate comparison, but he could just be the first David Sills. He does a lot of things that just wow you that you can’t teach. I’d love to see them really maximize his talent level, because they’re in a very unique situation now. His redshirt is gone, so if you’re going to put all your chips in the middle of the table, it’s not about the future. It’s about now. You’ve got to let it ride.”