Backup QB Hunter Helms on staying in Tiger Town: Clemson is 'where I want to be'
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Paul Tyson
On choosing Clemson: “I think Coach Swinney wanted me to come here and fill a role that he thought was best for me. I thought this was the best situation for my 30-year-old self. To where I could be in the moment and be the best possible person that I can be for this team and help them at all costs. I feel like each day, that’s my goal. I want to improve and help the team in any way that I can. Coming here, I knew that in mind, and that’s what I’ve been wanting to do ever since.”
On learning from Coach Swinney: “100%. It’s been extremely awesome learning from such great coaches. Coach Swinney has such an amazing perspective on life, on football, it’s so great to hear. Being a couple of other places, you hear from so many different people. To hear from Coach Swinney, obviously, he’s one of the best to do it. So it’s really awesome to learn from him and hear from him so that if I do want to get into coaching down the road, I’ve got his knowledge that he’s passed down to our team.”
On Swinney vs. Saban: “I know they are both phenomenal leaders. You can tell they’ve both won a lot of games. Obviously, they are both doing something right. People could say they are different here and there, but in my opinion, they are both phenomenal leaders. They can find a way to make their team win when things get tough and adversity hits. They step up and get the job done. A ton of credit to Coach Saban, he helped me get to where I was my first few years and Coach Swinney right now, they’ve both done a great job overall and are winners for sure.”
Hunter Helms
On his foot injury in camp: “It originally happened prior to spring. I got it healed and kind of tweaked it a little bit. I’m back to 100%. It feels great. I don’t really have any problems with it.”
On what kept him loyal to Clemson: “It’s kind of the guy that I am. I really wanted to stick it out here. I also wanted to get my degree, which I did in May. Stayed through spring and gave it my best shot. Had a good spring and I thought I was in a good position to be the No. 2 guy. That was kind of my mindset and I thought I accomplished that. I was okay with that-- to be the No. 2 guy. I talked to my family about it, but just being at Clemson for me is where I want to be. I’m happy with it.”
On Coach Riley: “Coach Riley has brought a lot. He’s energetic. He’s calm, cool, and collected. He knows what to say and when to say it to get the guys going, but at the same time, he doesn’t have to say too much. It’s really cool to have him in there, just learning from him. It’s just different. I’ve adapted well to it. I think everybody has, especially in the quarterback room. There are not magic play calls, we still have to go out and execute the gameplan.”