Erik Bakich Talks Tait Reynolds's Potential Dual-Sport Opportunity in Baseball

Coming into Tigertown as a dual-sport athlete, the Clemson baseball coach has all the support of the potential starting quarterback to focus on that role until the season ends.

Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds (2) passes during practice at the Allen N. Reeves Sports Complex in Clemson, S.C. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds isn’t calling audibles and running the offense, he switches his football pads for a baseball glove. 

Reynolds actually committed to the Tigers on both a football and baseball scholarship, decommitting from Arizona State for just baseball earlier in his recruiting process. However, he is a threat in both sports and has even shown that on the football field already. 

Although Christopher Vizzina is most likely going to be the starting quarterback to begin the 2026 season, Reynolds is right behind him, competing, and it could go on until the final day of fall camp. 

Until then, Clemson baseball coach Erik Bakich, as well as the rest of the team, will be rooting for him to be successful in his opening season of college football. 

“Tait is a super athlete, and we’re excited to watch him this football season,” he said. “I know he’s listened to all of Dabo’s press conferences and it sounds like he and Vizzina are right in the battle there at one and two.”

Reynolds hasn’t been the only Tiger to be a dual-sport athlete in both football and baseball. Two to remember are wide receiver Will Taylor and former quarterback Kyle Parker, one of head coach Dabo Swinney’s first quarterbacks. Both decided to fully pursue a baseball career, but Reynolds has the potential to be one of the Tigers' standout quarterbacks of the future, based on what we’ve heard thus far. 

When Bakich was asked on Friday about whether Reynolds would be playing baseball next season for the program. He responded with “possibly,” looking for him to focus on the task at hand first. 

“But right now, the plan is ‘Let’s kick some butt as a quarterback,’” he said. 

Coming out of Queen Creek, Arizona, Reynolds was a top 500 player in the Class of 2026, according to Perfect Game. A top 10 player from Arizona and a top 70 outfielder in the class, he brings a different type of power to a team while perhaps being one of the best athletes on Clemson baseball’s roster coming into next season. 

But that athleticism is also needed on the football field. He came in as a mid-year enrollee and couldn’t join the baseball team, due to being in-season. While the Tigers will have preseason games this fall, Reynolds will continue to be contending for the starting quarterback spot for the remainder of the season. 

And Bakich and his group will have his back regardless of what happens on the field, which will begin in under a month with LSU on Sept. 5.

“So really excited about Tait, and watching him on the gridiron, and when it’s time to shift gears to baseball, we’re ready to do that,” he said. “But right now, all his energy is on being the best quarterback for Clemson, and we’re excited to watch him.”