Vizzina’s commitment to Clemson football should jumpstart 2023 recruiting

2023 quarterback Christopher Vizzina has announced his verbal commitment to Clemson football on Tuesday.

The senior from Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Alabama had a top six of Clemson, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Clemson has long been considered a legitimate front-runner for Vizzina, who is rated as a four star prospect on the 247 Sports Composite. Vizzina has done his due diligence by visiting several schools this spring. He brought things full circle by visiting Clemson twice in April, including attending the Spring Game this Saturday.

Vizzina is Clemson’s second commitment for the 2023 Class, joining four star wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph of Miami Edison Senior High School in Florida.

There has been anxiety among the Clemson fanbase with the slow progress of recruiting the 2023 class. There are a handful of reasons behind the slow start. Clemson’s recruiting strategy under Head Coach Dabo Swinney is methodical, offering far few players than most programs. They often choose to focus on their top recruit(s) at certain positions instead of casting a wider net. Add the first season since 2014 that didn’t end with a berth in the College Football Playoff and the overhaul of the coaching staff due to both coordinators landing head coaching jobs in the Power Five, and it is easy to understand why Clemson hasn’t had the momentum in recruiting that they have in years past.

I think Vizzina’s commitment will help Clemson gain some of that momentum back. He may only have four stars by his name in the 247 Composite, but he has been a focal point of the quarterback search for several programs. Landing a highly-recruited prospect like Vizzina sends a message to many other recruits that are considering Clemson: there is still great appeal to this program, and Vizzina joining for the 2023 reinforces that the Tigers will have multiple talented on-field leaders for the forceable future.

I am hopeful that a renewed confidence in what is happening on the offensive side of the ball will lead to success recruiting defensive talent. Clemson is expecting several players from the defensive line unit to depart after this season. Clemson will need to replenish their numbers there, and the possibility of upward mobility should excite prospects who are interested in earning early playing time.