Dabo Swinney shares what he wants to see from Christopher Vizzina in spring practice

With Cade Klubnik moving onto the NFL, Clemson‘s starting spot behind center is open. It’s currently a three-man race for the Tigers’ QB1 title. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney recently revealed what he wants to see from redshirt junior quarterback Christopher Vizzina this spring.

“I want to see him take it and run with it,” Swinney said. “As I said, he’s got the pole position, so I want to see him show up every day, not get too high, not get too low, and just show up every single day and prove it. Just bring that edge every day. Obviously you want to see leadership at that position. I think he’s a natural. He’s got a lot of great relationships with guys on this team. He’s not a guy that just showed up here. He’s been working toward this.”

“… I really just want to see him take command of the offense. It’s been very familiar for me, obviously. It’s been very, very familiar to me, but it’s a little different for him with Chad [Morris] being in here now.”

In January, Clemson hired Chad Morris to be its offensive coordinator. With the hire, Vizzina has a clean slate to make an excellent impression this spring.

In his three seasons at Clemson, Vizzina has amassed 14 appearances and one start. He’s completed 64-of-his-105 (61%) pass attempts 596 total yards and four touchdowns compared to just one interception.

Additionally, Vizzina has recorded 109 yards and a touchdown in the ground game. Vizzina made the lone start of his career thus far in Clemson’s 35-24 loss to SMU last season.

In the loss, Vizzina completed 29-of-his-42 pass attempts for 317 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. Vizzina is competing with fellow Clemson QBs Chris Denson and Tait Reynolds for the starting nod this offseason. Swinney has enjoyed watching his quarterbacks compete.

“But it’s been fun. It’s been fun watching all those guys prepare,” Swinney said. “But again, [I want to see Vizzina] show up every day. Prove it, earn it. Great leadership, great command of what he’s doing, and handle the good times and the tough times, because they’ll both happen in practice.”

Christopher Vizzina easily boasts the most experience in Clemson’s quarterback room. As a freshman last season, Denson only played in one game. Meanwhile, Reynolds is a true freshman. He was a three-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.