Clemson’s quarterback room has a different feel entering 2026, and Christopher Vizzina is already getting a clear message from the outside: he’s not among the early favorites.
The expected Clemson starter was left off both the 2026 Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List and the 2026 Manning Award Preseason Watch List, even as several ACC quarterbacks landed on those boards. Four league passers appeared on both lists, with SMU’s Kevin Jennings and Miami’s Darian Mensah leading the way. Duke’s Walker Eget and Pitt’s Mason Heintschel also earned spots on the Manning list.
Whether Vizzina belonged on either list is debatable, at least based on what the source material lays out. He has only one significant start on his résumé, and that outing ended in a home loss to Jennings and SMU.
Still, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has made his stance clear. Despite offseason noise about a transfer quarterback and plenty of skepticism around the position, Swinney has stuck with the fourth-year quarterback as a player he believes can grow into the job.
“This was a highly recruited kid who bought into the vision, who bought into the development process,” Swinney said back in January. “We offer two quarterbacks in that class, and this kid has done everything. . .he’s performed well and shown development.”
That other quarterback from Clemson’s 2023 class was Arch Manning, now the Heisman frontrunner at Texas.
Swinney still hasn’t named a starter for Clemson’s matchup with No. 11 LSU in under two weeks, and true freshman Tait Reynolds has also drawn attention during spring and fall camp. Reynolds wasn’t included on either watch list, and no freshman was placed on either shortlist.
For Vizzina, a redshirt junior who spent years waiting behind multiple-year starter Cade Klubnik, the omissions could serve as fuel. A year ago today, Klubnik was a Heisman favorite and Clemson was sitting at No. 4 in the country.
Twelve months later, everything looks different. Even so, there’s a school of thought that Clemson is at its best when it enters a season without all the spotlight. Vizzina appears to understand the assignment.
“This is when people want to see the product of three years, and I feel like I’ve been able to put that on display,” he said last week.
Now it’s about whether he can turn that belief into production once the games begin. Swinney, at least, won’t be wavering.
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The competition behind him is part of what makes this situation worth watching. Swinney also pointed to progress from Tink Kelley and Donovan Starr as Clemson sorts out the nickel picture, and that kind of internal push usually keeps the conversation open a little longer than expected. For a defense that wants dependable depth as much as it wants playmaking, the question is not just whether Gipson can win the job, but how the Tigers will balance all the moving pieces around him. [Read more 🡒]