Clemson QB Tait Reynolds Sends Warning to College Football

The Clemson Tigers were hammered by the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, falling 41-13 in what was their biggest game of the season.

The loss made it clear that Clemson was not quite yet ready for the big time, and much of that is because it has a true freshman in Tait Reynolds under center.

Reynolds wasn't awful against Miami, but he wasn't great, going 29-for-44 with 295 yards and an interception.

However, in spite of the fact that the Tigers' offense labored all night against the Hurricanes, Reynolds is still confident that at some point, it's going to take off.

“At the end of the day, there are just a lot of things we need to clean up,” Reynolds said. “We didn’t get the win. Offensively, we need to play better. We know that, and we are going to. I keep saying it is going to happen, that it is going to pop at some point. You guys just be ready for it.”

Reynolds relieved Christopher Vizzina as the team's starting quarterback in Week 2 when Vizzina suffered an elbow injury. Dabo Swinney then named Reynolds the permanent starter after the contest.

Thus far this season, Reynolds has thrown for 816 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions while completing 64.8 percent of his passes. He has also compiled 61 rushing yards.

Obviously, the numbers haven't been pretty, but it's important to remember that Reynolds also missed his senior season in high school due to an injury.

Reynolds is being baptized by fire at Clemson, and when you consider what is being asked of him, he is actually handling himself pretty well.

Following the loss to Miami, Reynolds added that the Tigers were much closer than they appear and that the game itself was a lot closer than the final score indicated. And while Clemson did lose by 28 points, this wasn't a complete humiliation like Week 1 at LSU.

So I actually do understand Reynolds' assertion.

The question is whether or not the Queens Creek, Az. product has what it takes to ultimately become the Tigers' long-term quarterback.

Swinney clearly believes in Reynolds, and there is no doubt that the 19-year-old has shown flashes. He's mobile, he has a big arm and he seems unfazed by the bright lights.

Reynolds definitely needs some seasoning, and he will certainly take his lumps here in his freshman campaign. But perhaps there is a bright future for Reynolds at Clemson.

Based on the way Reynolds is talking, he seems to believe that future may very well come at some point this season.

The Tigers do not play a single ranked team on their schedule the rest of the way, so we'll see how they manage from here on out.