Clemson will head to ACC Kickoff in Charlotte without a quarterback in tow, and that means Christopher Vizzina will miss the event for the first time since 2019 a Tigers QB has stayed home.
Instead, Dabo Swinney is bringing junior linebacker Sammy Brown, senior defensive end Will Heldt and senior tight end Olsen Patt-Henry for the July 16 session, the second day of the three-day gathering at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown.
Swinney laid out the process on July 14 at Clemson’s media day. He said he starts by selecting two seniors, one on offense and one on defense, before the ACC sends over a list of players it wants considered.
"(The ACC) wanted Sammy Brown, so it's kind of how it goes," Swinney said at Clemson's media day. "There were a couple other names they threw out there, but I don't really worry about all that stuff."
He added that Patt-Henry was Clemson’s offensive pick and Heldt was the defensive choice, then Brown was the player he ultimately selected from the conference’s list.
"It's really not complicated. Not anything more than that," Swinney said.
Swinney did not say whether the ACC asked for Vizzina, a redshirt junior who is the frontrunner to be Clemson’s starting quarterback in 2026. Vizzina is set to open preseason practice as the No. 1 quarterback, though Clemson has not officially named him the starter as he competes with freshman Tait Reynolds.
Reynolds pushed himself into the mix after finishing spring practice as the No. 2 quarterback, ahead of Chris Denson, Trent Pearman and freshman Brock Bradley.
Clemson is one of five ACC programs among the 17 teams not bringing a quarterback to Charlotte, along with Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Duke and UNC.
The Tigers have sent quarterbacks to the event in recent years, including DJ Uiagalelei in 2021 and 2022 and Cade Klubnik for three straight years from 2023 through 2025. The 2020 event was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last Clemson team to show up without a quarterback was in 2019, when the Tigers brought offensive lineman John Simpson and safety Tanner Muse instead of sophomore Trevor Lawrence.
Brown arrives at ACC Kickoff with a strong résumé. The former ACC defensive rookie of the year picked up All-America honors and first-team All-ACC recognition in 2025 after piling up a team-high 106 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and five sacks. He also forced one fumble, broke up six passes and intercepted one ball.
He has not missed a game in his career and is one of only 26 FBS players over the last 20 years to post at least five sacks and at least 10 tackles for loss as both a freshman and a sophomore.
Heldt transferred from Purdue last season and made an immediate impact, finishing with 46 tackles, a team-best 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two pass breakups. That effort earned him third-team All-ACC honors.
Patt-Henry made the most of his first season as a starter, catching 16 passes for 126 yards while also handling important blocking duties in the run game.
Clemson will be among the schools in Charlotte on July 16 along with Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
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