Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Just Contradicted Himself in QB Comments

The Clemson Tigers' quarterback conundrum is getting worse and worse as the season progresses.

Christopher Vizzina entered the year as the starter, but was then benched in favor of Tait Reynolds after just two games.

Vizzina suffered an elbow injury during Clemson's Week 2 win over Georgia Southern, but head coach Dabo Swinney said that the permanent switch to Reynolds was not due to injury; it was due to performance.

Now, heading into the Tigers' Week 9 matchup against Florida State, Swinney has changed his tune.

With Reynolds struggling, Swinney said this week that there "definitely" would have been an ongoing battle between Reynolds and Vizzina for the starting job had the latter not gotten injured.

But how can you hand someone the starting role based on performance and then say there would have been a consistent battle?

Swinney then made things even worse with his follow-up comments, saying "it's both" when asked if Reynolds was starting because of his performance or because of Vizzina's injury.

But that's not what Swinney said when he actually made the change earlier in the season ... so what gives?

Swinney added that he feels Reynolds is doing a "great job" and that he doesn't think "people understand how talented he really is." But if that's the case, why is the idea of quarterback competition even a thought?

Because let's be honest: Reynolds isn't doing a great job.

Sure, his offensive line has been inconsistent, and his wide receivers have dropped some passes, but Reynolds has just one touchdown pass all season long.

He's also thrown for under 200 yards in three of his five starts, and while he is completing a solid 66.7 percent of his passes, he is averaging just 9.1 yards per completion.

No matter how you spin it, Reynolds has not been good.

Sure, he is just a freshman, so he absolutely needs some time to grow. And again, his supporting cast has not done him any favors.

But outside of Clemson's comeback win over North Carolina earlier in the year, we haven't seen a moment where Reynolds uplifted his team and made everyone around him better.

It's fair to question if the former three-star recruit is even capable of that, and perhaps Swinney is now wondering the same thing, which is why he is now waffling on his initial statements on the quarterback battle.

Clemson is now 4-3 on the season and will face Florida State on the road this Saturday.