Clemson's QB Concerns Grow After Win Over Charleston Southern

The Clemson Tigers routed Charleston Southern by a score of 37-0 on Saturday to improve to 4-2 on the season. It was a win, and a blowout win at that, so that was nice.

But there is no question that Clemson's quarterback concerns grew in the victory.

Tait Reynolds went 17-for-29 with 127 yards. With the Tigers up big late in the game, Trent Pearman came in and went 8-for-13 with 80 yards and a couple of interceptions.

Clemson managed just 207 total passing yards on the day, and while the rushing attack was terrific, how much longer can the Tigers survive with this aerial attack?

And I'm not just talking about this season, but also the future.

Reynold is a true freshman, so some bumps along the way are expected. But the fact that he played so poorly against Charleston Southern — an Ohio Valley Conference team that is now 3-4 — is alarming.

Clemson entered the season with Christopher Vizzina as its starting quarterback. Dabo Swinney quickly made the switch to Reynolds after just two games. Vizzina suffered an elbow injury in Week 2, but Swinney indicated that his change under center was not because of the injury.

Swinney has made it clear since the offseason that he loves Reynolds. He likes Reynolds' arm strength, his mobility and his poise. The youngster certainly has talent.

But it isn't translating to on-field success just yet, and taking that into consideration, Swinney may need to rethink his decision to commit to Reynolds long term.

Reynolds was just a three-star prospect when he committed to the Tigers. He wasn't viewed as an elite recruit. We're starting to see why.

While his offensive line hasn't done him any favors, nothing Reynolds has done thus far has actually stood out. He was good during the second half of Clemson's comeback win over North Carolina, and he threw for 295 yards against Miami in Week 5.

But six games into Reynolds' career, he has just one touchdown pass. He also has three interceptions and is obviously mistake-prone. We saw him fumble against Charleston Southern on Saturday, too. He recovered it and actually ended up gaining nine yards on the play, but it was a mistake, nonetheless.

At this point, Swinney must be thinking about the transfer portal. I just don't see how he can feel comfortable knowing that Reynolds is his signal-caller going into 2027.

Saturday represented a great opportunity for Reynolds to break through against a terrible opponent. Instead, he laid an egg.