Clemson Is All In on Its Quarterback Room - No Transfer Needed
Despite losing Cade Klubnik to graduation and coming off a rocky 7-6 season, Clemson isn’t dipping into the transfer portal for a new quarterback in 2026. Instead, head coach Dabo Swinney is putting full faith in the guys already in the room - a young, unproven group that he believes has the talent to grow into something special.
This wasn’t a decision made lightly. Swinney, along with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, made a deliberate choice to stay in-house. The two are aligned in their belief that Clemson’s next starting quarterback is already on campus.
“If you take a quarterback, then you're losing two,” Swinney said. “And I don't want to lose the guys we got. I think this is as talented a room as we've had in a long time.”
A Room Full of Potential - Not Experience
Clemson’s quarterback depth chart heading into spring is long on promise, short on proven production. Christopher Vizzina leads the pack.
He’s been in the program for three years, but has just one start to his name. Behind him are Chris Denson and Trent Pearman, both of whom have yet to start a game.
Add in two freshmen - Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds - and the Tigers have five scholarship quarterbacks, none of whom have played significant snaps in meaningful situations.
Still, Swinney likes what he sees. And Morris, who’s made a career out of developing quarterbacks, is ready to mold this group.
“I've been around quarterbacks my whole life,” Morris said. “It's my job to develop these guys and put them on a path to grow like we’ve seen other quarterbacks do in this system.”
Why No Portal QB? It’s About Fit, Finances, and Loyalty
With the portal loaded with experienced arms - including names like Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby, Drew Mestemaker, and Josh Hoover - Clemson had options. But Swinney made it clear: chasing a transfer QB would’ve come at a cost, and not just financially.
Landing a top-tier portal quarterback would’ve meant dipping deep into the program’s NIL pool and revenue-sharing resources - money Swinney felt was better spent elsewhere, particularly on rebuilding a defense that lost eight key contributors to the NFL, graduation, and the portal.
And then there’s the loyalty factor. Vizzina, once a top recruit in the 2023 class, stuck with Clemson through three years of waiting.
The Tigers didn’t even offer a quarterback in 2024 because of their belief in him. Swinney wants to reward that patience.
“CV has done everything that's been asked of him,” Swinney said. “He's earned the opportunity to have the pole position now. He's got to win the race, but he’s earned the right to start there.”
It’s a bold move, especially given recent trends. Five of the last six teams in the national championship game had a transfer quarterback under center. Clemson is clearly taking a different path.
The Battle for QB1 Begins
Vizzina, listed at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, enters spring as the frontrunner. His body of work is limited but intriguing.
In five appearances last season, he showed flashes - most notably in his lone start against SMU, where he overcame a shaky first half to throw for 317 yards and three touchdowns on 69% passing. But consistency is still a question.
Against Furman, an FCS opponent, he struggled, managing just 52 yards on 9-of-15 passing.
Chris Denson, at 6-2 and 195 pounds, saw limited action as a freshman but made the most of it. He went 4-for-4 passing with a touchdown against Furman and added 108 yards and a score on the ground. Swinney said Denson has “tremendously improved” and will be in the mix.
Trent Pearman, a former walk-on, has appeared in six games over his career but hasn’t made much noise statistically - completing 40% of his passes for 43 yards and an interception.
Then there are the freshmen. Brock Bradley, a three-star recruit out of Birmingham’s Spain Park High, was a prolific high school passer, completing over 68% of his throws for nearly 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior.
Tait Reynolds, another three-star prospect, was limited by a knee injury this past season but is expected to be full-go by spring. Swinney called him a “unicorn,” a nod to his rare blend of size and athleticism.
What’s Next for Clemson?
The Tigers are betting on development over experience. It’s a gamble in today’s college football landscape, where plug-and-play quarterbacks from the portal have become the norm. But Swinney is sticking to his philosophy - build from within, reward loyalty, and invest in players who’ve already bought into the program.
That approach may not come with immediate guarantees, but it does come with upside. If Vizzina or one of the young guns can rise to the occasion, Clemson could have a homegrown success story under center.
Spring practice will offer the first real glimpse into how this quarterback competition shakes out. For now, the message from Swinney is clear: the future of Clemson football is already in the building.