Clemson's Dabo Swinney Raises Eyebrows With Christopher Vizzina Snub
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The Clemson Tigers are entering a new era at quarterback heading into 2026, as Cade Klubnik is no longer under center for the squad.
Now, Christopher Vizzina is in line to be the starting signal-caller for Clemson's season opener against LSU, and freshman Tait Reynolds seems to be waiting in the wings.
It will be interesting to see how quick of a hook Swinney has with Vizzina this fall, especially considering how much he seems to love Reynolds.
Nevertheless, he will be giving Vizzina a chance, but some have wondered just how confident he actually is in the redshirt junior.
Swinney didn't do himself any favors in that regard this week, as he didn't choose Vizzina among the Tigers' three representatives for ACC Football Kickoff.
Instead, Swinney picked linebacker Sammy Brown, defensive end Will Heldt and tight end Olsen Patt-Henry.
So, why exactly did Swinney omit Vizzina? He was asked, and he explained.
“Well, [Vizzina is] not a senior, so Olsen was the offensive senior that we chose. So, [Vizzina] wasn’t on the pool,” Swinney told reporters. “You kind of look at, who are your seniors, and you talk to your coaches, and it was Olsen. And then it was Heldt on defense. And then, OK, who do they [the ACC] want?
"Ross [Taylor, Clemson’s Associate Athletic Director for Football Communications & Strategic Initiatives] … He tells me who they [the ACC] want. There’s three or four guys they list, and I’m like, alright, we’ll take Sammy. So, it’s really not complicated. It’s not anything more than that.”
That explanation would be more conclusive if Brown were a senior, but he is actually a junior. But Swinney made it clear that the ACC pushed for Brown.
“I’ve always taken our seniors, number one. That’s kind of where I start,'" Swinney added. "… So, Olsen is our senior that we chose, and been a starter for us. And then Heldt was a senior, and they all wanted Sammy Brown. So, that’s kind of how it goes."
To be clear, this probably is much ado about nothing, but all of the questions surrounding Vizzina going into 2026 has certainly made Swinney's decision to snub his quarterback raise eyebrows.
Vizzina arrived at Clemson in 2023 and has made just one start thus far. That came last year, when he went 29-for-42 with 317 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to SMU.
We'll see if the former four-star recruit can make everyone forget about this moment in the early stages of the 2026 campaign.
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