Early position grades heading into 2026: Quarterback, Clemson has upside

Ahead of the 2026 college football season, taking a deep dive into the position groups is a great way to get a better understanding of what to expect from the ClemsonTigers in 2026. Why not start with the most important position.

Quarterback

Room: Christopher Vizzina, Tait Reynolds, Chris Denson

Grade: C-

Dabo said after the spring game that Vizzina was their QB1, Reynolds was QB2, and it's quote "not close." Swinney chose not to find a signal caller in the portal, opting to continue to develop from his past (and this season's) recruiting class. Vizzina's only career start came this past October in an eleven-point loss to SMU, where he completed 29 of 42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns, albeit often throwing against a prevent defense aiming to protect a large lead. 

While he showed flashes in his debut, Vizzina lacks the experience and pedigree of the Tigers at the position in the past.

Then you have four-star freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds. A phenomenal athlete, Reynolds has always garnered tremendous hype and has shown in practice he is someone to takes seriously. There’s a real chance he could be Clemson’s starting quarterback by the end of the season. The potential is fantastic there’s just a clear issue… Clemson has a bad a lot of the same story with the potential not meeting the expectations on field.

247Sports ranks Clemson's Ben Boulware as a top 10 football recruiter

📸 Ken Ruinard / staff, Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images https://t.co/t1z7sfCfrYpic.twitter.com/5iMlzKsE6o

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) May 21, 2026

This is the first time in nearly ten years since Clemson doesn’t trot out either a five-star prospect or an experienced star at quarterback, and with the exception of Kelly Bryant, the first time in Dabo's entire tenure.

While Vizzina, or even Reynolds, may surprise us this season, the position looks bleak heading into 2026. Potential won’t make up for the questions here.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Evaluating the Quarterback position heading into 2026 shows potential