Clemson’s quarterback battle has been one of the quieter storylines around camp, even if the outside chatter keeps circling Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds. Inside the program, the process has stayed mostly under wraps, and Dabo Swinney still hasn’t officially named a starter.
Swinney has said Vizzina has the “pole position” in the race, but the decision remains open. After Clemson’s scrimmage on Aug. 15, he said it’s possible the call doesn’t come until the day of the season-opener on Sept. 5 at No. 11 LSU.
Vizzina spoke to the media on Aug. 18 and made it clear he’s not getting rattled by the noise or the uncertainty. He knows what this moment means.
“I've been waiting on this moment for a long time. I feel like I've taken full advantage of it,” he said. “Just taking it one day at a time, knowing I need to be my very best for the team and lead them in the right direction.”
Even with Reynolds pushing him, Vizzina said the relationship between the two quarterbacks has been solid. He pointed to the way leadership works at the position - if he wins the job, he’ll be expected to help bring Reynolds along too.
“People could try to turn people against each other and stuff like that, but I feel like he does a great job,” Vizzina said. “I'm there for him, too.
… I feel like Cade (Klubnik) when I came in, he wanted to help me out. People weren't sure if he was going to help me, he did, and I want to do the same thing for Tait.”
If Vizzina opens the season as Clemson’s starter, it would be just his second career start. His only previous one came last October against SMU, when he threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-42 passing in a 35-24 loss.
That game has become part of the conversation around him, but Vizzina isn’t interested in turning it into a bigger story than it was.
“It's one game. I try not to overthink that too much.
… I gotta switch my focus to playing right now,” he said. “Everybody wants to talk about that one game.
I moved on from it, to be honest with you, but there was a lot to learn. There was a lot that I was able to put on display, but like I said, I'm ready to move on from that.”
Nationally, Vizzina hasn’t drawn much attention in the wave of quarterback rankings, and Swinney has said he’s been underrated because he didn’t go through the portal. Vizzina, though, isn’t spending much time worrying about how he’s viewed from the outside.
“It just all comes down to me wanting to be here. I don't really care how other people view me.
I know there's there's negativity online,” he said. “I've always wanted to be here.
I want people to know that. This is the place I want to win at, and I'm obviously still standing here, so that's true.”
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