

The Clemson Tigers' quarterback situation is definitely a major point of contention heading into 2026, especially after Dabo Swinney refused to address the position in the transfer portal.
Gone is Cade Klubnik, who is headed for the NFL after his eligibility at Clemson expired. And even though some big names were available this winter, the Tigers appear set to roll with Christopher Vizzina under center.
While there are plenty of questions surrounding Clemson in general, perhaps the biggest source of concern is what's going on at quarterback right now, and an anonymous coach has revealed a pretty rough outlook for Vizzina.
"If Christopher Vizzina is the quarterback, and you look at how he played against SMU, he is more of a game manager," the coach said, via David Hood of TigerNet. "If you put it all on his shoulders to go win games, you're going to lose five games."
Considering the Tigers went just 7-6 this past season, that is certainly not what any Clemson fans wants to hear, but they also might not disagree.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Christopher Vizzina. Credit: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.There is a whole lot of general unrest regarding the Tigers' offense at the moment, so much so that there are some who feel that Chris Denson would actually be a better option at signal-caller than Vizzina.
Vizzina is a former four-star prospect, so there clearly is some talent there. He went 29-for-42 with 317 yards and three touchdowns during his aforementioned start against SMU this past season, so the numbers looked good.
But as the unnamed coach noted, there is the question as to whether or not Vizzina is the type of quarterback to put a team on his shoulders and carry it to victory.
Klubnik showed the ability to do that during his time at Clemson, at least in 2024 when he accumulated 43 total touchdowns and seemed to be headed for No. 1 pick territory in the 2026 NFL Draft. Of course, things changed.
But for as pedestrian as Klubnik was in 2025, there seems to be even more trepidation concerning Vizzina going into 2026, and it's also important to note that the Tigers suffered some pretty significant losses on offense this offseason, as well.
We'll see if Vizzina can prove his doubters wrong next fall.
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