What Dabo Swinney found out about 5 critical Clemson football position groups in spring

CLEMSON — Clemson football has a better feel for its roster after 15 spring practices.

The sessions helped coach Dabo Swinney and his staff figure out who will be contributors at key positions for Clemson in 2026.

The Tigers look to improve from a 7-6 record in 2025, which was the second-worst season in Swinney’s full 17 seasons.

Here are those Clemson position groups that have improved and those that need work after spring practice.

Will Christopher Vizzina be Clemson starting QB?

Christopher Vizzina, a redshirt junior, entered and exited the spring as Clemson’s top quarterback, but he has not cemented himself as the team’s starter because of the emergence of freshman Tait Reynolds.

Reynolds, a three-star signee, separated himself from Chris Denson, Trent Pearman and freshman Brock Bradley to be the Tigers’ No. 2 quarterback in spring practice. Swinney believes he can battle Vizzina for the starting job, too.

“Ain’t nobody got lifetime contracts around here,” Swinney said March 28 after Clemson’s spring game. “… CV didn’t do anything to back up, but Tait has done everything to move forward.”

Entering spring practice, there was no clear cut competition for Vizzina. Now, Reynolds will have the opportunity to win the job if he continues to improve in his decision making, accuracy and understanding of Chad Morris’ offense.

MORE: Projecting Dabo Swinney’s Clemson football depth chart for 2026 after spring game

Clemson confident in LB depth without Luke Ferrelli

Clemson’s linebacker room took a hit before spring practice began when the Tigers lost Luke Ferrelli, a Cal transfer linebacker who is the ACC’s defensive rookie of the year, to Ole Miss.

He transferred to Clemson on Jan. 7, then reentered the portal on Jan. 16 to transfer to Ole Miss on Jan. 22. This led to Swinney calling out the Rebels and coach Pete Golding for tampering. Golding responded to Swinney’s allegations on March 31.

However, Clemson and defensive coordinator Tom Allen have been impressed with the depth that has been developing behind star linebacker Sammy Brown. Both Kobe McCloud and Jeremiah Alexander have developed from last season to emerge as contributors.

McCloud has worked his way to be No. 2 alongside Brown and had a standout play in the spring game where he sacked Bradley for a safety. To protect quarterbacks, plays were blown dead when a defender got near one and ruled a sack/tackle.

Clemson football needs entire DT group to develop further

Clemson lost three defensive tackle starters from 2025. The Tigers added two transfers to fill the gap with Markus Strong (Oklahoma) and Kourtney Kelly (West Georgia) and signed juco standout Andy Burburija, who doesn’t arrive at Clemson until the summer. All will join Amare Adams, Vic Burley and Champ Thompson in the unit.

Still, the group took a hit after Kelly suffered a torn ACL that will likely keep him out for the 2026 season. The unit also lacks experience or has never played at the power-conference level.

Allen has similar concerns, wanting the entire interior defensive line to improve at tackling, communication and understanding responsibilities on specific plays.

Clemson will have variety at running back led by Gideon Davidson

Wide receiver turned running back Adam Randall dominated the snaps last season. That will likely change as Clemson has multiple running-back options who bring a different style.

Gideon Davidson, the team’s top running back, is a shifty, physical runner. Chris Johnson Jr., Clemson’s top offensive portal addition, is a speedster who can erupt for a big gain. Then there’s David Eziomume, a hard-nosed physical runner.

Morris wants to run the ball in his scheme, and all have shown they can be a factor in his offense.

Dabo Swinney not worried about kicker Nolan Hauser despite misses

Nolan Hauser is Clemson’s No. 1 kicker, but he has missed kicks this spring, including three in the team’s scrimmage on March 11 and one in the spring game.

Still, Hauser, who was 17-of-21 on field goal attempts last season, has Swinney’s complete trust despite his shaky performance in spring.

“I don’t have any concern. He’ll be fine,” Swinney said.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney’s five key position groups