CLEMSON — Despite all the noise surrounding Clemson’s quarterback battle between Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds, the actual process itself has been somewhat secretive.
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, despite saying Vizzina has the “pole position” in the race, has yet to announce Clemson’s starter. After the Tigers’ scrimmage on Aug. 15, he said it’s possible the decision isn’t made until the day of the season-opener on Sept. 5 at No. 11 LSU.
While the true answer to Clemson’s QB question might not come for another two weeks, Vizzina was made available to the media on Aug. 18 and gave some insight into what the competition has been like.
There’s no doubt he’s aware of what this season could mean for him.
“I've been waiting on this moment for a long time. I feel like I've taken full advantage of it,” he said. “Just taking it one day at a time, knowing I need to be my very best for the team and lead them in the right direction.”
Despite competing with Reynolds, Vizzina said he and the freshman have developed a good relationship. Part of being a quarterback is being a leader, and if named QB1, Vizzina will need to help lead Reynolds as well.
“People could try to turn people against each other and stuff like that, but I feel like he does a great job,” Vizzina said. “I'm there for him, too. … I feel like Cade (Klubnik) when I came in, he wanted to help me out. People weren't sure if he was going to help me, he did, and I want to do the same thing for Tait.”
If Vizzina gets named the starter for Week 1, it will be his second career start. In his lone opportunity against SMU last October, a 35-24 loss, he completed 29-of-42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns.
Some detract from Vizzina because of his minimal game experience, while others point to the SMU game as a sign of what’s to come. He doesn’t take much stock into the performance himself.
“It's one game. I try not to overthink that too much. … I gotta switch my focus to playing right now,” he said. “Everybody wants to talk about that one game. I moved on from it, to be honest with you, but there was a lot to learn. There was a lot that I was able to put on display, but like I said, I'm ready to move on from that.”
There isn’t a lot of noise nationally surrounding Vizzina’s fourth season at Clemson. In the countless QB rankings out there, Vizzina won’t be found in the highest tier. Swinney said he’s been underrated because he chose not to hit the portal.
For Vizzina, it’s not about what everyone else thinks.
“It just all comes down to me wanting to be here. I don't really care how other people view me. I know there's there's negativity online,” he said. “I've always wanted to be here. I want people to know that. This is the place I want to win at, and I'm obviously still standing here, so that's true.”