For the third year in a row, the Clemson Tigers have refused to release a depth chart ahead of their Week 1 game. While it could be seen as gamesmanship ahead of their tough road date at LSU, Dabo Swinney's reluctance to even name a starting quarterback was getting old fast. All signs pointed to veteran Christopher Vizzina beating out freshman Tait Reynolds, but Tiger Stadium is so unforgiving.
When asked by the media who will start in Week 1 on Monday, Swinney offered this. "We're gonna run somebody out there ... it's been a great competition," Swinney said. "That's where we are. Gotta go play some games and see from there." He continued by indicating that both quarterbacks know what they are doing. "They can all run the Clemson offense. Whoever's out there has gotta run the offense."
Well, if it has been such a great competition, wouldn't he have named a starter sooner? Swinney's decision to keep this close to the vest was not landing well with the fanbase or the national media. Frankly, he still doesn't think he has any starters on this team. He only has "a bunch of nobodies."
"In my mind, we still don't have any starters," Swinney said. "Now, we're gonna run some guys out there Saturday. And then we'll start to make some decisions, because we'll have some performance."
It was not until late Tuesday morning that Swinney decided to name Vizzina the starting quarterback.
Dabo Swinney has announced Christopher Vizzina as the school's starting quarterback. This has long been the expected outcome for the Tigers. pic.twitter.com/D0nCbYJbYu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 1, 2026
Dabo Swinney's Clemson QB mystery went from intriguing, to dangerous, to disappointing
Clearly, Swinney likes to live dangerously. Not only is Clemson coming off its worst season in nearly two decades, but it has been about a dozen years since the Tigers last had this kind of tumult in the quarterback room. Eventually, a more talented Deshaun Watson beat out incumbent Cole Stoudt for the starting job in 2014. One could expect for history to repeat itself here with Reynolds over Vizzina.
Clemson enters Saturday night as a 10.5-point road underdog to No. 11 LSU. FanDuel Sportsbook has LSU at -400 on the moneyline with Clemson at +310 to win outright. One would think if Swinney named a starter sooner, the line could have moved closer in favor of Clemson by removing all the unnecessary uncertainty. Clemson may cover the sizable 10.5-point spread, but doubt has crept in.
As long as Clemson does not get blown out by LSU, Swinney will find a new way to justify this kind of behavior. It is in his DNA. This is who he is. Clemson may be playing with house money coming in, but the last thing Swinney will want is for this team to start the year out 2-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC play. Clemson's offseason quarterback drama could be hard to defend with losses to LSU, Cal, and Miami.
In a year where so much needs to go right for Clemson, Swinney sending out mixed signals about the quarterback battle only created more confusion. Last season saw Clemson play disjointed football from opening kickoff vs. LSU. The Tigers went from being the No. 4 team in the country, to finishing the season unranked at a pitiful 7-6. This season has to be different for the Tigers from Week 1 on.
Swinney naming Vizzina his starting quarterback this late into the offseason is certainly a choice.
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