The days of Cade Klubnik are over, and for the first time in years, the quarterback race at Clemson seems legitimately wide open. Christopher Vizzina arrives in spring in the “pole position,” but Swinney is adamant that “the redshirt junior has to earn it every day.”
Vizzina, who has seen limited but promising action over the last two seasons, is now the veteran voice in a room that Swinney sees as the deepest he has ever had.
"We have five guys that I believe can play quarterback at this level," Swinney said. "We ain’t always had that. Go back to our last national championship... we didn't have a lot of room for error. This room is going to be really competitive."
The “five” includes dynamic redshirt freshman Chris Denson, whom Swinney singled out as a player who needs to move beyond just being an “athlete” to mastering precision and timing.
Swinney also mentioned freshman Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley, alongside veteran Trent Pearman as part of the group. Swinney’s challenge to Vizzina is obvious: assume control.
"I just want to see him show up every day and prove it. Leadership at that position... I think he’s a natural, he’s got a lot of great relationships. But he has to take command of the offense.”
With former OC Chad Morris back as a consultant and influence in the building, an offense that is “familiar” to Swinney but “a little different” for the players adds another level of complexity to the spring evaluation.