Inside the Clemson Tigers 2026 Quarterback Room

The Cade Klubnik era is over. Having surely etched himself into Clemson history and folklore, Klubnik will be tough to replace, but Clemson’s new-look quarterback room just may have what it takes.

“I think we've got an incredibly talented quarterback room.  I really feel that way. I know there's teams across the country that’d love to have the talent sitting in that room,” new offensive coordinator Chad Morris said..

As of right now, the starter spot is Christopher Vizzina’s to lose. As a four-star recruit, Vizzina has sat behind Klubnik for three seasons. He’d assume quarterback responsibility with two years of eligibility remaining.

“This is a highly recruited kid who bought into the vision, who bought into the development process,” head coach Dabo Swinney said.

Although he leads the charge, Swinney made it clear that Vizzina still has to earn the spot.

“He's earned the opportunity to have the pole position. He's got to win the race, he's got the opportunity to come out at the pole position,” Swinney said.

Sharing the quarterback room with Vizzina is freshman Chris Denson, junior Trent Pearman and two three-star high school recruits: Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley.

In his time as signal caller, Klubnik was undisputed and unchallenged at the quarterback position, but Swinney and Morris have shifted their ideology: pressure makes diamonds.

“Competition brings the best out of everybody, but excited about the new guys coming in, excited about the guys in that room and, man, I can't wait till we get to spring and watch these guys compete,” Morris said.

Vizzina is the only guy to have started a game, and he has the added benefit of a good showing in that start. In a loss to SMU, he threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns.

But Denson has demonstrated electric, big-play ability in limited action. Against Furman, he ran for 106 yards on six carries, including a 50-yard run. He added a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown in the same game.

“Chris Denson, another one, that got some playing experience this year, extremely dynamic, talented,” Morris said.

In a press conference, Swinney expressed that he never had any desire to pick up a quarterback in the transfer portal.

“If you take a quarterback, then you're losing two, and I don't want to lose the guys we got. I believe it. I think this is, this is as talented of a room as we've had in a long time,” Swinney said.

With his traditional, high school recruitment approach, Swinney’s investment strategy has paid dividends before, and with Tait Reynolds, it might again.

“I think Tait Reynolds is a unicorn," Swinney said. "I think this kid is so unique. He's big, he's strong, he can fly, he got elite arm talent."

The offseason also saw Tajh Boyd receive a promotion from offensive analyst to quarterbacks coach. Boyd is Clemson’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

“I'm excited about the opportunity to develop these young men. I'm excited about the competition, and again, I'm excited about the future of football,” Swinney said.