Quarterbacks And Their Fragile Egos

Who would have thought my first blog subject would have been linked to a former Clemson quarterback? I guess the timing is right, because ESPN has just posted their quarterback preview and analysis this past Friday. I'm not prepared to give an opinion on their analysis this soon, but I will continue with the subject of my blog.
Willie Korn was overhyped coming out of high school. It wasn't just the orange bleeding football super fans who bought in, but a lot of national media recruiting analysts as well (ESPN, Rivals, etc.). He did show some great athletic ability early on, but that shoulder injury was a permanent blow to his career. I think that his psyche never recovered, not to mention his arm. There is a fine line that separates good or bad quarterbacks in college football. Unlike the NFL, college quarterbacks don't have to fit a certain mold. I think its all about leadership and poise in pressure-filled situations. I don't think there was a tremendous amount of talent difference between Korn and Kyle Parker. I think Parker had confidence, and a winning mentality. He is the gunslinging type that isn't afraid to take risks on his throws. I just feel like Korn never gain comfortability at his position at the college level.
I am truly stunned at the news coming out of Marshall this week. I never thought he had lost enough to change positions as a weeker school with players nowhere near the rating he once had. Sure, a lot of Clemson fans out there, including me, bought into the hype and felt like he was the next great quarterback. It just didn't turn out that way. Everyone likes optimism, and every fan of every team of every season has goals and dreams in their head that are probably loftier than they should be. Deep down we all know its probably going to end up just a little different, but that is the great thing about college football. A perfect example is the video posted on this blog. It is optimism at its finest. South Carolina has not really had any concrete evidence of them finally bursting out of mediocrity this year, but right now it is still possible that they will be great. Why look at it any other way?