A surprising development has taken place in the Clemson Tigers' quarterback competition.
The general consensus is that the Clemson Tigers' quarterback competition is a two-team race between Christopher Vizzina and Chris Denson heading into 2026, but a new participant seems to have thrown their hat into the ring.
Gavin Oliver of The Clemson Insider has reported that incoming freshman Tait Reynolds was actually running second-team reps in practice on Monday, which definitely comes as a bit of a surprise.
Vizzina ran the first team.
Now, it's entirely possible that head coach Dabo Swinney is just giving Reynolds the opportunity to show his stuff, but it also could mean that Clemson is not entirely happy with what it has seen from Denson thus far.
It also indicates that Vizzina is the very clear frontrunner to win the starting job and that Swinney is trying to figure out the rest of the depth chart.
Reynolds committed to the Tigers back in July 2024 and officially signed with them last December.
Clemson Tigers quarterback Tait Reynolds. Credit: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.The three-star prospect is the 31st-ranked quarterback in his class, via 247 Sports. He is also the sixth-ranked player in the state of Arizona for 2026.
Reynolds missed his entire senior campaign at Queens Creek due to a hamstring injury, but the season prior, he threw for 2,238 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. Additionally, he racked up 1,426 yards and 19 scores on the ground.
Reynolds is one of two quarterbacks Clemson landed in its 2026 recruiting class, with the other being three-star Alabama product Brock Bradley.
Vizzina is preparing to enter his redshirt junior campaign. He made one start in 2025, going 29-for-42 with 317 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to SMU.
The Tigers are attempting to determine life after Cade Klubnik, who had been the team's quarterback the last three seasons but is now headed to the NFL.
Swinney has insinuated all along that the quarterback job is Vizzina's to lose, and his decision to roll with Reynolds on the second unit rather than Denson earlier this week is concrete evidence of that.
Clemson went 7-6 this past season, marking its worst finish since going 6-7 in Swinney's first full year at the helm back in 2010.
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