Comparing Dabo Swinney, Clemson current QBs to top transfer portal options
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CLEMSON — The transfer portal has been open for 13 days, and Clemson football still has not landed a quarterback despite the team having a need for one.
Clemson‘s 2026 quarterbacks are Christopher Vizzina (one start in three years), Chris Denson (zero in one year), former walk-on Trent Pearman (zero in three years) and freshman signees Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds after Cade Klubnik’s eligibility expired.
Despite the wealth of inexperience, the Tigers’ offense regressing this season and the team hiring Chad Morris as its new offensive coordinator, Clemson has not been linked to any quarterbacks in the portal. The top 20 quarterbacks in the portal have also chosen their new school, according to 247Sports rankings.
If Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney remain pat with their current quarterback options, here’s how they compare to the top portal quarterbacks.
How Christopher Vizzina, other Clemson quarterbacks have performed
Vizzina, who entered 2025 as the team’s likely successor at quarterback, had uneven performances in five games and one start this season. He played in blowouts in his first three games, completing 50% of his passes for 37 yards and one interception and rushing for 21 yards on seven carries vs. Troy, North Carolina and Boston College.
With Klubnik out with an injury against SMU, Vizzina blossomed in his first career start, completing 69% of his passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns after a shaky first half. Then, the offense sputtered with him against Furman, an FCS school, as he was 9-for-15 passing for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Denson appeared in two games in his freshman season and had his best game against Furman. He went 4-of-4 passing for 22 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 108 yards and a score.
Pearman has appeared in six games, completing 40% of his throws for 43 yards and an interception.
Bradley, a three-star recruit, exited high school as the program’s all-time winningest quarterback and completed 68.2% of his throws for 2,930 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior. Reynolds, a three-star recruit, suffered a knee injury this season that limited him to two games but is expected to be full-go for Clemson’s spring practice.
How Clemson quarterbacks compare to top transfer portal options
Sam Leavitt, Arizona State
Leavitt, the highest-rated portal player, transferred to LSU. He will likely start for the Tigers when they host Clemson to open the 2026 season.
He completed 60.7% of his throws for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 306 yards and five scores in seven games this season with Arizona State.
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati
Sorsby, the No. 2 player in the portal, transferred to Texas Tech. With the Bearcats this season, he threw for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions and rushed for 580 yards and nine scores in 12 games.
Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Mestemaker, the No. 3 player in the portal, followed former North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State. Mestemaker led the American Conference in completion percentage (68.9%), passing yards (4,379) and passing touchdowns (34) for North Texas to win the conference’s offensive player of the year award.
DJ Lagway, Florida
Lagway transferred to Baylor after a down 2025 season. He threw for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and an SEC-high 14 interceptions this season.
Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
Raiola transferred to Oregon, who will likely sit behind Dante Moore who announced he is returning to college instead of going to the NFL. Raiola threw for 2,000 yards for 18 touchdowns and six interceptions with the Cornhuskers this season.
Husan Longstreet, Southern California
Longstreet, a former five-star recruit, transferred to LSU. He has four years of eligibility remaining after playing in four games with Southern California in 2025, where he threw for 103 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two scores.
Deuce Knight, Auburn
Deuce Knight transferred to Auburn to be Trinidad Chambliss’ likely successor if he cannot return. Knight appeared in two games in his freshman season, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for four scores.
Byrum Brown, South Florida
Auburn hired former South Florida coach Alex Golesh as its new coach, and Brown followed him after having his best season. Brown threw for 3,158 yards for 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 touchdowns this year.
Rocco Becht, Iowa State
Becht followed former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell to Penn State. In his fourth season, Becht threw for 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushed for eight scores for Iowa State.
Josh Hoover, TCU
Hoover transferred to Indiana to be Heisman trophy winner Fernando Mendoza’s successor next season. Hoover threw for 3,482 yards for 29 touchdowns and a career-high 13 interceptions with TCU this year.
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: How Dabo Swinney, Clemson’s current QBs compare to transfer options
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