CLEMSON — Chris Vizzina Jr. would not have been shocked if Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney added a transfer portal quarterback for the 2026 season.
Vizzina feels that way even though his son is in line to be the Tigers’ starter.
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“Here’s the thing about coach Swinney, Dabo is not going to put that quarterback room in front of that team and put the team in jeopardy,” Chris Vizzina Jr. told The Greenville News. “If he doesn’t think the talent’s there, he would’ve grabbed a portal quarterback.”
Swinney did not sign a transfer quarterback for 2026, trusting the development of his current players, including redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina.
Vizzina, who started in one game over three years, is Clemson‘s presumptive 2026 starter but has to beat out Chris Denson, Trent Pearman and signees Brock Bradley Tait Reynolds to solidify his position.
“Does it have something to say about CV’s loyalty? Well yeah, but I think the loyalty, that falls into development,” Chris Vizzina Jr. said. “He just didn’t sit in his rocker and say, ‘Well, if I stay here long enough, I’ll get my shot.'”
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Why Christopher Vizzina is loyal to Clemson, Dabo Swinney
Swinney said if Clemson had taken a portal quarterback, a QB or two would have transferred. Christopher Vizzina would have been a likely candidate, but he hasn’t shown those traits in his football career.
Vizzina was a hot commodity for Alabama high schools after his freshman year in 2019. The 14-year-old threw for 1,176 yards and scored 11 touchdowns to lead Briarwood Christian to a 12-2 record.
This prompted other schools to reach out to see if Vizzina would be interested in transferring to a more high-profile team in the state to gain more exposure from power-conference schools.
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Despite having only one offer from UAB prior to his freshman season, Vizzina declined to attend a new school. He had attended Briarwood since he was in kindergarten.
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“One of the things we talked about with Clemson in the recruiting process is we thought CV was a loyal guy in a day and age that the world’s not loyal,” Briarwood Christian coach Matthew Forester said.
And Vizzina’s notoriety grew in his junior season, landing multiple power-conference offers, including from Clemson. He became a four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 6 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and No. 75 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, when he left high school.
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“He wasn’t going to chase stuff. He knew that if he worked hard and he was patient, good things would come,” Forester said.
Will Christopher Vizzina be Clemson’s starting quarterback?
It appears Swinney and his staff will reward Vizzina’s patience in 2026. He only played nine snaps while redshirting behind Cade Klubnik in 2023. He appeared in 12 games and one start over the next two seasons as Klubnik remained Clemson’s starter.
Still, Swinney spoke glowingly about Vizzina, expressing the Tigers did not add a quarterback in 2024 because of the team’s belief in the Alabama native. The Clemson coach added Vizzina could have transferred in 2024 and 2025, too, but stayed to wait his turn.
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“We get frustrated when we have a talented young player who packs up and leaves because he’s maybe not quite as patient, and we know he’s going to be a good player,” Swinney said in January. “Then, we don’t want to reward loyalty when a guy has done everything that’s been asked.
“You don’t think he could have gone in the portal? Absolutely. This was a highly recruited kid who bought into the vision, who bought into the development process.”
Christopher Vizzina showed off his maturation in his first career start against SMU in 2025. With Klubnik out with an injury, Vizzina completed 69% of his passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-24 loss.
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In his other appearances in 2025 though, he had sporadic performances. 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.
Then, the offense struggled with him against Furman, an FCS school, as he was 9-for-15 passing for 52 yards and one touchdown.
Still, Vizzina is Clemson’s most experienced quarterback as everyone else has not made a start in their careers.
“CV has done everything that’s been asked of him, and he’s earned the opportunity,” Swinney said. “He’s earned the opportunity to have the pole position now. He’s got to win the race, but he’s got the opportunity to come out with pole position.”
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Swinney also rehired offensive coordinator Chad Morris, who looks to make Clemson’s offense more explosive after the Tigers went 7-6 in 2025, the second-worst year in Swinney’s full 17 seasons.
Vizzina, 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, has a strong arm and is dynamic enough with his legs to be the catalyst for Clemson’s resurgence after waiting his turn for three seasons.
“He’s ready to be Clemson’s face of the program,” Forester said. “He understands the pressure that comes with those types of things because football is a big deal in the state of Alabama. He’s used to that and he hasn’t gone into this whole situation blindly.
“Everything that has happened so far at Clemson, he’s been prepared for.”
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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: Christopher Vizzina ready to be Dabo Swinney’s face of Clemson football
