The race for Clemson transfer quarterback Hunter Johnson is a bit more open in Week 2 of his recruitment. A source close to the situation tells 247Sports the Tigers have given Johnson a full release, which means he’s allowed to join other ACC schools, if he so he chooses.

With that under consideration, 247Sports has learned Duke has entered the picture for Johnson.

The Blue Devils are now among the known schools in the running along Northwestern and Purdue, the schools 247Sports reported as early favorites last week when the news was announced.

Johnson ranked as the nation's No. 2 pro-style passer and 30th overall player in the 247Sports Composite during the 2017 cycle. Johnson must sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will be eligible starting in 2019 with three years of eligibility remaining.

Northwestern starter Clayton Thorson will graduate following this season. Purdue had an unsettled quarterback room a year ago in large part due to injuries. Rising junior Elijah Sindelar and rising senior David Blough both starting multiple games. Duke, meanwhile, is currently piloted by rising junior Daniel Jones. The North Carolina native struggled as a sophomore with his completion percentage dropping from 63 to 55.7 percent from his freshman campaign.

Johnson, if he chose to transfer to any of those three schools, would be one of a few five-stars to ever appear on their campuses. None of the three programs have ever signed at 247Sports Composite five-star.

The Tigers' quarterback room was crowded this offseason. Zerrick Cooper left shortly after the 2017 season, but that left the Tigers with Bryant, Johnson, Chase Brice (a redshirt freshman) and five-star true freshman passer Trevor Lawrence. Bryant ended the spring in a clear competition with Lawrence, who shined in the spring game, throwing for 122 yards and showing off the arm that made him the No. 1 player in the 247Sports Composite for the 2018 cycle. If Lawrence doesn’t start for Clemson this fall, he’ll be Dabo Swinney’s guy the rest of his time on campus.

That put Johnson in a tough spot in both the short term (Bryant) and long term (Lawrence).

Swinney said earlier this offseason that the Tigers' quarterback competition would continue into the offseason.

“Regardless of where we are today, we’ve got a long way to go before we play in September, and no matter what happens in September, I don’t think the competition’s just going to end,” Swinney said earlier this spring. “I think we’ve got guys on the roster that are going to be driven each and every day to either be the guy or beat the guy out or make the guy better or whatever it may be.”

Johnson is the second Tiger this month to be granted an unconditional release from the school. Five-star defensive tackle Josh Belk was given the same last week when he opted to leave the program.