Just a few years ago, Dabo Swinney led the Clemson Tigers to the pinnacle of college football, capturing national championships in 2016 and 2018. However, Clemson has not been the same team in recent years, losing at least 4 games in each of the past 4 seasons, a feat not seen since a streak ended in 2011. The team’s 7-6 record in 2025 was its worst since the 2010 squad went 6-7.
Dabo Swinney Faces Critical Quarterback Decisions for Clemson’s Future
Since the departures of those stars, the quarterback position has become a challenge for Clemson. Although the Tigers have landed star recruits at the position, namely DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik, they failed to reach their potential, leading to Clemson’s struggles on offense.
Quarterback has been a significant problem for the Tigers lately, so Swinney is in the midst of another quarterback competition this offseason. Behind Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, Clemson took home two national titles and became one of the elite programs in the country.
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As a result, Swinney now finds himself judging another quarterback battle, this time between Christopher Vizzina and freshman Tait Reynolds. Jon Blau of the Post and Courier reports that Vizzina, who played last season, has the upper hand.
“A lot of questions with Clemson obviously coming off of that 7 and 6 season and some questions in some really important positions,” Blau said. “Quarterback being the number one issue at hand still. Christopher Vizzina who’s had limited playing time, was good against SMU, but that was the worst pass defense in college football. In kind of mop up duty, not great.”
Vizzina completed 45 of 71 passes for 406 yards with four touchdowns and one interception last season. He earned a PFSN QB Impact score of 69.7, a grade of D+. Klubnik earned a 79.2, a C+, so Vizzina will need to take a big step this year if Clemson is going to get back to where it was just a few years ago. Although Vizzina appears to be the leader, Swinney hasn’t ruled out the freshman.
“He’s still now in the pole position to be the quarterback,” Blau said of Vizzina. “But there’s a freshman Tait Reynolds who Dabo Swinney says is among the you know, the two man race now to be the starting quarterback.”
Reynolds, a four-star recruit from the class of 2026, chose Clemson over his home-state options, Arizona and Arizona State, positioning himself as a key contender in this race. Clemson did have high hopes for Vizzina, and many in the program still do.
“Obviously an Elite 11 guy as a recruit, definitely a guy that Clemson had high hopes for and has still has high hopes for,” Blau explained. Blau also believes there are things to like about Vizzina.
“Obviously a lot of it’s in mop up duty against backups and you know, a guy that you know, seems to have a decent arm,” Blau said. “Obviously he was an Elite 11 guy. Dabo has told us and we’ve seen some evidence of it that he’s probably a better runner than people think. He’s like 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.”
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Clemson has been known for running its quarterbacks. With Chad Morris set to return as the offensive coordinator, it is a safe bet that the Tigers will continue that trend. Morris spent 2023 as an analyst at Clemson and was the offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014 before leaving for head coaching roles at SMU and Arkansas.
With real pressure on Swinney for the first time since early in his head coaching career, it will be imperative that he gets solid play out of the position, no matter who the starter winds up being. That consistency at quarterback will be vital if Swinney hopes to meet expectations this season.
