Greg McElroy debates whether Christopher Vizzina can take next step at Clemson

Instead of diving deep into the Transfer Portal for a new quarterback to lead the way in 2026, Clemson is backing redshirt junior quarterback Christopher Vizzina. The 2026 season will mark Vizzina’s fourth within the program, which seems to be a rarity in this era. His previous three seasons were spent backing up Cade Klubnik, who is off to the NFL Draft.

Across 14 career games, the Birmingham native has passed for 596 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. He made his first career start last season in Clemson‘s 35-24 loss to SMU, passing for 317 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in relief of an injured Klubnik. The sample size isn’t large, but it’s likely big enough for Dabo Swinney to trot Vizzina out as Clemson’s starting quarterback to open the 2026 season.

With a long offseason ahead, ESPN’s Greg McElroy debated whether or not Vizzina can take the next step at Clemson on the ‘Always College Football‘ podcast.

“Christopher Vizzina is a development vs. Transfer Portal economy test,” McElroy said. “2026 quarterback story for Clemson is one of the most philosophical, for lack of a better word, case studies in the sport. Clemson‘s not just picking a starter, they’ve defended an approach for a while. The projections right now have Vizzina as Clemson‘s starter. The reasoning is this; this is Clemson. They’ve recruited him and they’ve developed him. That’s what they do. That’s what they’ve done for the past few years.

“They dabbled in the portal more this year than they have in the past, but they want to develop within. In a sport where most of the top programs are out shopping for quarterbacks like it’s the world’s most aggressive draft strategy ever, can Clemson still win at the highest level with a homegrown quarterback pipeline? Either Vizzina hits and Clemson looks smart and they’re ahead of the curve. If he struggles, then Clemson‘s gonna face the harsh reality of what it’s like to live in modern times. Not that development is bad, but the quarterback market has changed the competitive timeline.

“Vizzina doesn’t have to be a Heisman finalist for Clemson to be good, but he does need to be consistent on third down, efficient in the redzone, avoid mistakes against quality competition. Clemson‘s championship vision is always going to be ‘defense travels and quarterback elevates’. That’s how they’ve won championships in the past, and that’s going to be the measuring stick of how Clemson proceeds into the future as well.”

The program is certainly taking a risk, as other high-end programs in the ACC such as Miami (Darian Mensah), Louisville (Lincoln Kienholz), Georgia Tech (Alberto Mendoza), and Virginia (Beau Pribula) dove into the Portal for their new quarterbacks.