A grim ESPN prediction casts doubt on Clemson's quarterback situation. Can Vizzina deliver, or will Swinney's offense falter again in 2026?
Clemson hoped that Cade Klubnik would be able to replicate his success in 2024 and lead the program back to the College Football Playoff.
Instead, Klubnik's NFL stock tanked, and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was excused after a 7-6 finish to the season.
Head coach Dabo Swinney is trying to right the ship with a quarterback battle this offseason. Christopher Vizzina, Chris Denson, and Tait Reynolds will fight for the right to lead Clemson's offense in the fall.
Bill Connelly of ESPN has a troubling prediction for Clemson and Swinney. He thinks Vizzina gets the nod, but only ranked him as the No. 52 quarterback in the Power 4.
"Vizzina was decent in his only career start -- he threw for 317 yards and three TDs (albeit at just 6.4 yards per dropback) in a 35-24 loss to SMU -- and having receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. at his disposal will help," Connelly wrote.
"But after only one top-40 finish in offensive SP+ in the past five seasons, the Clemson offense no longer gets the benefit of the doubt, and that doesn't change with new/old offensive coordinator Chad Morris taking over -- he hasn't overseen a good college offense since 2017."
Morris and Vizzina have much to prove. Frankly, Clemson has been overrated in the past few seasons. They're going to have to prove the doubters wrong before they gain trust from the national media.
Connelly's prediction for Vizzina to start is on par with what Swinney hopes to see this spring. He wants Vizzina to take the job and not look back.
“I want to see him take it and run with it,” Swinney said of Vizzina. “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."
Swinney is looking for leadership in addition to throwing power and accuracy.
Vizzina should be the guy to command the huddle in Week 1, but he'll have to win big games to give the team some confidence after a backwards slide in 2025.