Vizzina was named Clemson’s starting quarterback this week by Dabo Swinney
BATON ROUGE, LA — The bright lights and millions of eyes will soon be on Christopher Vizzina.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney named the senior quarterback the starter for the season opener against No. 13 LSU on Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m., ABC) on Sept. 1. He beat out freshman Tait Reynolds during preseason practice.
It won’t be Vizzina’s first start for No. 23 Clemson, but 2026 does mark his first season as its QB1, for now at least. Swinney said the quarterback competition is not over.
“CV’s has just been incredibly steady. I mean, he’s just been very, very steady,” Swinney said on Sept. 1. “He’s just put his head down and gone to work, and he came out ahead to this point.”
Learn more about Vizzina before one of Clemson’s biggest games of the season.
Where is Christopher Vizzina from?
Vizzina was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, the same city where Swinney was born, to his mother, Carolyn, and his father, who shares his first name. He played football, basketball and baseball as a kid and says on his website that baseball was actually his favorite sport growing up.
But football won out for Vizzina. He first played wide receiver and switched to quarterback in middle school after his team’s starter got hurt. Vizzina guided his team to wins the rest of the season.
Vizzina starred at Briarwood Christian High School from 2019-22. He passed for 7,038 yards and 51 touchdowns and became one of the top quarterback recruits in the 2023 class, with dozens of Division I offers.
Why Christopher Vizzina chose Clemson
Vizzina committed to Clemson in April 2022 and was also considering Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
Vizzina says on his website that his relationship with Swinney played a major role in his choice. Swinney typically only extends offers to one or two quarterback recruits a year, and Vizzina earning one of them meant something to him.
“That was an offer that held a lot of weight and something I took very seriously,” Vizzina wrote.
Vizzina also felt Swinney understood him more because of their Alabama upbringing.
“I’d had a connection with Coach Swinney from the very beginning,” Vizzina wrote. “With him being from Birmingham, there was already a strong foundation – there were certain things he could talk to me about and understand that no one else could … Clemson, for me, was just the perfect place.”
Christopher Vizzina’s Clemson career
Vizzina, who is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, had to wait before becoming Clemson’s starting quarterback. He redshirted his first season in 2023 and backed up former Tigers starter Cade Klubnik in 2024 and 2025.
Vizzina said on Sept. 1 that the best way he learned under Klubnik was by visualizing himself in situations he was in. Whether it was in practice or a game, Vizzina watched Klubnik and pictured what he would do if he were in that spot to earn mental reps.
“There’s Saturdays I wish I was playing, and I’m not getting those reps,” Vizzina said. “(I tried) to put myself in the position, so when I do go and have the chance … I was already ready because I had been taking the mental reps.”
Vizzina played in 14 games from 2023-25 and made one start in 2025 against SMU after Klubnik suffered a sprained ankle. Clemson lost 35-24, but Vizzina made a strong impression with a 69% completion percentage, 317 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Even though he didn’t start for three seasons, Vizzina never left Clemson. That’s something Swinney admires.
“I’m proud of him,” Swinney said. “He’s a very mature kid. He gets it. He knows. He knows his role.”
What Christopher Vizzina has to do to remain Clemson’s starter
Swinney isn’t expecting Vizzina to be a Heisman Trophy contender. He’s just expecting him to do enough to run the offense well.
And, of course, bring Clemson back to where it once was.
“Win, be productive, take care of the ball, be a good decision-maker, do the routine stuff well, manage the game,” Swinney said of what he wants from Vizzina. “He doesn’t have to be a superhero; we just need him to do his job within the system. I think that’s the main thing.”
Why Dabo Swinney said Christopher Vizzina is like Tajh Boyd
Clemson quarterbacks coach Tajh Boyd was the Tigers’ starter from 2011-13 and has been a member of Swinney’s staff since 2021.
After Clemson’s first preseason scrimmage, Swinney compared Vizzina to Boyd.”Tajh was a pretty good runner around here,” Swinney said. “He made a lot of tough first downs. CV’s got those characteristics. He’s a tough kid. He’s a big ol’ dude. He’s pretty athletic. He’s going to run way better than people will want him to.”
Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at ncoppola@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @Nick_Coppola__ and like his Facebook page at Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports.