Clemson is making a quarterback switch for North Carolina, and freshman Tait Reynolds is the one getting the nod.
Dabo Swinney said Reynolds will make his first start Sept. 19 against the Tar Heels at noon on ESPN, and the decision is about performance, not simply Christopher Vizzina’s arm injury from the Tigers’ 22-7 win over Georgia Southern on Sept. 12.
Swinney said Vizzina “should be able to play” against UNC, but the senior will enter the week as the backup. Reynolds, meanwhile, has done enough to win the job for now.
“We do feel like he's (Reynolds) earned the opportunity to start this week, and so he will go in as the starter,” Swinney said.
The Clemson coach stopped short of naming Reynolds the long-term answer, but he pointed to the freshman’s “body of work” and specifically his outing against Georgia Southern. Reynolds completed 16 of 27 passes for 178 yards, added 38 rushing yards and lost a fumble in that game.
“Based on what we saw in that game, we feel like Tait has earned the opportunity to start this week,” Swinney said. “That's where we are.”
Through two games, Reynolds has gone 20-of-33 for 200 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Vizzina, who backed up Cade Klubnik for the previous two seasons, has completed 14 of 23 passes for 102 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Both quarterbacks saw action in Clemson’s 51-10 season-opening loss at LSU.
Swinney said the edge for Reynolds comes down to cleaner play. In his view, the freshman has made fewer mistakes than Vizzina over Clemson’s first two games.
“Just how they played,” Swinney said when asked if the move was tied to Vizzina’s injury. “Based on opportunity and mistakes and just body of work, Tait has earned the opportunity to start.”
He also said Reynolds’ tape against Georgia Southern showed both promise and plenty to fix.
“He's put some stuff on tape that's pretty elite, and then he put some tape on stuff on tape that we're like, 'OK, this is a freshman,'” Swinney said. “If we can clean that up, he's going to get better and better and better, and I think he's got a really bright future.”
Reynolds will now get his first full week working with Clemson’s starting offense. It will also be his first start since his junior year of high school, after he missed his entire senior season because of a hamstring injury.
Vizzina’s injury remains a talking point, but Swinney didn’t sound eager to lean on it as the reason for the change. He told the ACC Network at halftime of the Georgia Southern game that Vizzina “couldn't feel his left arm” after Clemson’s third drive. After the game, he said Vizzina’s arm felt numb and that the injury prevented him from putting him back in.
National reports on Sept. 13 described the issue as an elbow injury that would keep Vizzina out against UNC, but Swinney pushed back when asked about that.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Swinney said. “All I know is (Clemson's medical staff) feels like ... he's got a left arm injury, but they feel like he'll be available.”
Even with the injury in the picture, Swinney said the competition still favors Reynolds because of how the two quarterbacks have played. He also said Vizzina has to clean things up if he wants to get back to QB1.
“CV did some things that he needs to be better at,” Swinney said. “The interception ... just can't happen. The play was well designed and where it needed to be, and you missed a play down in the red zone.”
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Clemson Got The Win But A Bigger Offensive Concern Just Emerged
Clemson got back in the win column in its home opener with a 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern, a result that offered some relief after the loss to LSU but also came with a familiar-looking offensive grind. The defense did its part, limiting Georgia Southern to 266 yards and recording three sacks, while Nolan Hauser was perfect on five field goal tries to help keep the Tigers in control even when the offense never fully found a rhythm.
The bigger concern emerged at quarterback, where Christopher Vizzina got the start but was knocked out by injury and replaced by Tait Reynolds, who handled the entire second half. For a Clemson offense still searching for consistency, any disruption under center adds another layer of uncertainty, and the Tigers will now have to see how serious the issue is before turning the page to the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Swinney Has One Clemson Problem He Must Solve Fast
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Tait Reynolds stepped in after the injured starter went down and looked like the most likely quarterback of the future, flashing enough potential to make the job feel like his to lose. But the growing pains were obvious, and the larger issue goes beyond one player. The offensive line has drawn criticism, the scheme coordination has been uneven, and Clemson cannot afford to let those problems linger if it wants the rest of this season to mean anything. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Won But One Big Question Still Follows This Offense
A lightning delay pushed the start back nearly two hours, but Clemson eventually settled in and handled Georgia Southern 22-7 behind a defense that controlled the game from the opening series. Nolan Hauser matched his career high with five field goals, T.J. Moore found the end zone on a touchdown reception and Will Heldt added two sacks as the Tigers found enough complementary plays to leave little doubt about the outcome.
Even so, the win did not fully quiet the larger concern hovering over this offense. Clemson moved the ball well enough at times to stay in control, but the way the points came mostly through Hauser kept the focus on how much more explosive this unit still needs to become as the schedule stiffens. For a team that expects to lean on balance and finish drives, the next stretch will say plenty about whether this was simply an early-season hiccup or a sign that the same old questions are still hanging around. [Read more 🡒]