CLEMSON — Through eight spring practices and a scrimmage, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said transfer cornerback Elliot Washington II has been the team’s top performer.
“Elliot Washington has been, by far to me, the best guy in camp,” Swinney said March 11 after Clemson‘s scrimmage that was closed to the media. “He’s made plays every single day. Every single day, he’s made a play and has turned the ball over more than anybody all spring.”
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Washington transferred from Penn State and played under defensive coordinator Tom Allen in 2024 with the Nittany Lions. He was a part of a defensive unit that was “dominant” against the offense in Clemson’s lone spring scrimmage, according to Swinney.
The Tigers coach called it the “best defensive scrimmage” since Allen, who was hired in 2025, has been there. Swinney said his defense wasn’t perfect, having substitution issues and red-zone penalties, but the unit tackled well and turned the ball over.
Swinney said Clemson looks “different” at safety with Southern Miss transfer Corey Myrick and Old Dominion transfer Jerome Carter III, saying both are where they’re supposed to be, play fast and are “really good” tacklers.
Swinney also said freshman safety Polo Anderson caught his eye during the scrimmage but acknowledged that he missed a tackle for loss on running back Jarvis Green.
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Swinney said Clemson’s offense was without several starters because of injuries, including wide receivers Bryant Wesco Jr., T.J. Moore, Cole Turner and Tristan Smith, tight end Olsen Patt-Henry and offensive lineman Collin Sadler. Other players were limited and did not fully participate in the scrimmage, including offensive lineman Brayden Jacobs.
Swinney said at one point on offense, there were only two starters. Yet, he was proud of his defense’s dominance against inexperienced players.
“That hasn’t always been the case the last couple of years,” Swinney said. “I thought a really good scrimmage (from) all three groups defensively from start to finish.”
MORE: Why Clemson QB Christopher Vizzina would have stayed even if QB transferred in
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How did Christopher Vizzina, Clemson QBs perform in scrimmage?
Clemson is figuring out who will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2026, and Swinney said all did “OK” in the team’s scrimmage.
“Nobody was great, but again, you can only do your part. You can’t do it by yourself,” Swinney said. “… There are a lot of things you can do that I think they did a good job with, (but) nobody was good enough today, offensively.
Christopher Vizzina is in the “pole position” and fighting to be Clemson’s starter after sitting for three years. He is battling graduate student Trent Pearman, redshirt freshman Chris Denson and freshmen Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds.
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Clemson did not sign a transfer-portal quarterback despite all of Swinney’s current QBs combining for one start.
Swinney expects the competition to go on through preseason practice before Clemson faces LSU on Sept. 5 at Tiger Stadium.
“Everybody’s pushing. It’s not going to be a situation where you don’t allow these guys to compete for a while,” Swinney said. “We don’t play till September, so we’re gonna let them keep competing.”
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: What Dabo Swinney said about QB competition in Clemson scrimmage
