Early position grades heading into 2026: Quarterback, Clemson has upside
Breaking down the quarterback position heading into the 2026 season shows a team looking for answers and two players who may have them.
Ahead of the 2026 college football season, taking a deep dive into the position groups is a great way to get a better understanding of what to expect from the Clemson Tigers in 2026. Why not start with the most important position. Quarterback Room: Christopher Vizzina, Tait Reynolds, Chris Denson Grade: C- Dabo said after the spring game that Vizzina was their QB1, Reynolds was QB2, and it's quote "not close.
" Swinney chose not to find a signal caller in the portal, opting to continue to develop from his past (and this season's) recruiting class. Vizzina's only career start came this past October in an eleven-point loss to SMU, where he completed 29 of 42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns, albeit often throwing against a prevent defense aiming to protect a large lead. While he showed flashes in his debut, Vizzina lacks the experience and pedigree of the Tigers at the position in the past.
Then you have four-star freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds. A phenomenal athlete, Reynolds has always garnered tremendous hype and has shown in practice he is someone to takes seriously. There’s a real chance he could be Clemson’s starting quarterback by the end of the season.
The potential is fantastic there’s just a clear issue… Clemson has a bad a lot of the same story with the potential not meeting the expectations on field. 247Sports ranks Clemson's Ben Boulware as a top 10 football recruiter 📸 Ken Ruinard / staff, Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images https://t. co/t1z7sfCfrY pic.