What Dabo Swinney said about Clemson football QB competition after first scrimmage

Clemson football's first scrimmage heading into the 2026 season did nothing to settle the quarterback question.

Junior Christopher Vizzina and freshman Tait Reynolds remain in a tight race, coach Dabo Swinney said Aug. 15 following the teams closed scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. They are competing to which will succeed Cade Klubnik, who was drafted by the New York Jets.

Vizzina and Reynolds have been stride for stride all preseason, Swinney said, and he's been impressed with watching them run in particular.

"There was nothing that disappointed me as far as their ability to run the offense and make plays," Swinney said. "They all (including freshman Chris Denson) made big plays. CV and Tait made some nice plays with their legs."

Clemson 's second closed scrimmage is scheduled for Aug. 20. The Tigers will open the season at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at LSU. Clemson is ranked No. 23 in the US LMB Coaches Poll , while LSU is No. 13.

Klubnik rushed for 21 touchdowns and 878 yards during his Clemson career but had only 84 yards in his final season. Vizzina and Reynolds both have the ability to add tremendously to the running game, Swinney said.

The 6-foot-4, 210 pound Vizzina was recruited as a dual threat quarterback. He's been behind Klubnik for the past two years. The 6-2, 215-pound Tate arrived in January and is already in the running for the starting job, Swinney said.

"They're both big and they're both strong guys. They're both very capable," Swinney said. "The difference is that Tait is probably a little faster. Tait can run and he can score. CV can get you a big chain mover."

Swinney compared Vizzina's running ability to Tajh Boyd, who is Clemson's quarterback coach and played the position for the Tigers from 2010-13. He led them to the 2011 ACC championship and was conference player of the year in 2012.

Boyd rushed for 1,165 yards and 26 touchdowns in his Clemson career while passing for 11,904 yards and 107 TDs.

POLO ANDERSON INJURED: Clemson freshman, Dorman star Polo Anderson tears ACL, will miss season

"Tajh was a pretty good runner around here," Swinney said. "He made a lot of tough first downs. CV's got those characteristics. He's a tough kid. He's a big ol' dude. He's pretty athletic. He's going to run way better than people will want him to."

Todd Shanesy covers high school athletics for the Greenville News, Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent Mail in the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly called Twitter, at @ToddShanesySHJ .

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Dabo Swinney said about Clemson football QB competition after first scrimmage

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →