Clemson's Dabo Swinney Might Be in Denial With QB Situation

The Clemson Tigers managed to put together a 37-0 win over Charleston Southern this past Saturday to improve to 4-2 on the season, as their defense held Charleston Southern to just 76 yards of total offense.

It was certainly an impressive performance by the unit, even if it did come against an Ohio Valley Conference opponent.

Clemson's offense, however, left much to be desired, especially when it comes to the passing game.

Tait Reynolds went just 17-for-26 with 127 yards on the day, and while both T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco dropped what should have been touchdown passes, there is no question that Reynolds didn't look very good versus a team he should have lit up.

In six games and four starts this season, Reynolds has thrown for 943 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He's completing a solid 64.9 percent of his passes, but that's about the only positive we've seen from the true freshman.

Yet, Dabo Swinney seems insistent on Reynolds being the Tigers' long-term quarterback.

Swinney has the utmost belief in Reynolds, which is nice. But at this point, it's starting to feel a bit misguided.

Reynolds has absolutely not shown anything to make anyone believe that he should be guaranteed Clemson's starting quarterback job in 2027. In fact, if anything, the way he has played should have Swinney scrambling for the transfer portal this winter.

Instead, Swinney seems oddly satisfied.

Reynolds has had moments. He led a comeback win over North Carolina back in Week 3, and he threw for 295 yards against Miami a couple of weeks later. But he also looked lost against California on the road and wasted a golden opportunity for a breakout performance over the weekend.

I will say that Reynolds isn't getting a ton of help. The Tigers' offensive line has been subpar, and the receiving corps has definitely let him down more than once.

But when you look at the overall body of work, Reynolds has not been very good.

Reynolds is a true freshman, so he definitely deserves some grace. And maybe he could develop into a good quarterback at some point. But he hasn't demonstrated many positives thus far, and Swinney should at the very least be preparing to seek alternatives.

That doesn't mean that Clemson has to entirely give up on Reynolds, but Swinney should certainly be weighing other options.

However, it seems like Swinney has every intent of heading into next season with Reynolds under center, and that's beyond questionable.