Dabo Swinney Raves About Clemson QB Christopher Vizzina at ACC Kickoff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked for an update on the team’s quarterback battle when he took the stage in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon.

Instead of being ambiguous about the battle, the 19th-year head coach made it clear: Christopher Vizzina remains in the driver’s seat to start in Week 1.

“CV's been great, he really has,” Swinney said. “I know y’all write about it. I know y’all talk about it. We have fans who talk about it. At the end of the day, you have to make decisions, and you can’t make decisions that please everybody. If you want to fail drastically, try to do that.”

Swinney then doubled down on Clemson’s decision to prioritize Vizzina over other options.

“We made a decision that we weren’t going to go get some shiny object at quarterback,” he said. “We understand that if it doesn’t work out, we’re going to be raked over the coals for that. But you’ve got to make decisions you believe in, and we always do what we think is best for Clemson, for our team, and for the long-term health of our program.”

That “shiny object” that Swinney is referencing would be a transfer quarterback. The Tigers could’ve targeted highly-touted prospects like Sam Leavitt, DJ Lagway, and Austin Simmons. Instead, the program chose to stick by the former four-star prospect who has just one career start as a collegiate quarterback.

“There’s a reason we had confidence in the decision we made,” Swinney continued. That’s because we’re there every day. CV earned the opportunity to be the starting quarterback at Clemson based on everything we’ve observed. If we didn’t think he was good enough or he hadn’t demonstrated the things he could control at that point in his career, we might have made another decision.”

Despite Clemson not bringing in a transfer, the quarterback room saw changes. According to Swinney, that was also part of the offseason calculus.

“We knew who was coming in,” he said. “We believed in [Tait Reynolds] and in Brock [Bradley]. You never really know until you get there, but we knew CV was incredibly loyal to this place. He could have left 10 times, and somebody would’ve paid him a ton of money, but he’s stayed loyal to Clemson. He’s done everything he’s been asked to do, and when he’s had an opportunity to play, he’s played well.

Vizzina’s lone start came last year in a 35-24 defeat at the hands of SMU. The Birmingham, Alabama, native completed 29 of his 42 passes for three touchdowns in place of an injured Cade Klubnik. He also lost a fumble in the second quarter of the loss.

While that performance was certainly successful given the circumstances, some fans still don’t see Vizzina as proven enough for the starting role. Swinney, however, believes that he has what it takes to lead an offense swelling with potential.

“We don’t have a ton of experience at the [quarterback] position,” Swinney continued. “That’s well documented. But we believe in the talent we have. We also believe we have a bunch of playmakers at running back, tight end, and wide receiver who are ready to make plays for whoever’s under center. We believe that we have four guys in that [quarterback] room, but right now, going into camp, it’s CV, and it’s Tait. It’s CV’s job to lose, and it's Tait’s opportunity to go win it.”

Whoever earns the starting nod for the team will face a stiff test in their season debut. The Tigers travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for an opening night that promises to have plenty of hoopla. Clemson and LSU will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, with ESPN’s College GameDay in attendance.

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