Clemson is heading into preseason practice with a clear answer at quarterback, and Dabo Swinney is making no apologies for how the Tigers got there.
Senior Christopher Vizzina opened camp Aug. 6 as the apparent replacement for Cade Klubnik, who was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Vizzina has spent the last two seasons as Clemson’s No. 2 quarterback, and Swinney said the Tigers are getting a player who has been overlooked for one simple reason: he stayed put.
“If (Vizzina) had gone in the portal, he would have been the greatest thing ever in the portal,” Swinney said before practice. “Whoever got him would be writing all these great articles around how they got this great quarterback from Clemson.
But he gets downplayed because he stayed. That's just the nature of this world we live in right now.”
Clemson enters the season ranked No. 23 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and was picked fourth in the ACC preseason poll. Vizzina’s résumé gives Swinney plenty of confidence. In five games in 2025, he completed 45 of 71 passes for 406 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
“He's done everything he needs to do at this point to win the job,” Swinney said. “But he also has a lot to prove.
He's got the pole position. He just has to finish the race.”
Behind Vizzina, the backup battle is expected to take shape between freshmen Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley. Swinney said Bradley is closer than many might think.
Reynolds arrived as a four-star recruit, ranked No. 31 among quarterbacks and No. 6 in Arizona in the 2026 class. Bradley came in as a three-star, rated No. 107 at quarterback and No. 80 overall in Alabama.
Swinney also said Clemson will not be dipping into the transfer market for help from the Class of 2022 after a July 31 court ruling opened the door for those players to gain a fifth year of eligibility if they did not redshirt or turn pro.
“Our roster is set,” he said. “We play in 30 days. Ain't nobody coming to save us.”
The Tigers open the season Sept. 5 at LSU in Lane Kiffin’s debut as Tigers coach.
At running back, sophomore Gideon Davidson will begin camp as the top option. Davidson ran for 272 yards on 60 carries in 2025 and finished as Clemson’s No. 2 rusher behind Adam Randall.
“It starts with Gideon,” Swinney said. “He's done a great job.”
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Clemson Opens Camp With One Huge Decision Still Hanging Over 2026
Clemson opened fall camp with the usual August mix of optimism and caution, and Dabo Swinney spent his first media session talking through where the Tigers stand as they begin shaping the 2026 season. Health updates were part of the picture, too, including encouraging news on Hevin Brown-Shuler as he continues treatment for lymphoma, along with a season-ending injury for Adam Guthrie that trims one more piece from the roster plan before camp really gets rolling.
The bigger issue, though, is the one that always hangs over a camp opener: who takes control of the offense when the competition starts in earnest. Swinney addressed the quarterback battle, the development of the roster and the process of sorting through starters, but Clemson is still in the early stages of figuring out how the depth chart will settle. For now, the Tigers are collecting information, and the most important answers are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Opens Camp With One Huge Battle Still Unsettled
Clemson opens its 2026 fall camp with a roster that looks different in plenty of places, and not just because of all the turnover. The Tigers are trying to reload after losing 14 players to the transfer portal and nine more to the NFL draft, which has left them sorting through new faces on the offensive line, evaluating defensive transfers and figuring out how the backfield will settle itself.
The biggest question, though, hangs over the most important spot on the field. The quarterback race is still unresolved, with the conversation centered on Christopher Vizzina and freshman Tait Reynolds as camp gets underway, and how that battle unfolds will shape the way Clemson looks on offense this season. Until that job is settled, so much of the rest of the depth chart remains tied to it. [Read more 🡒]