Don’t tell me Dabo Swinney does not know what he is doing.
For the first time since 2019, Clemson will not take a quarterback to ACC Kickoff, which is set for July 15-17 at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, N.C.
Why is Swinney not taking a quarterback? Probably so his quarterback is not asked about the quarterback competition every 10 seconds by the media who will be attending.
Instead, Swinney is bringing senior tight end Olsen Patt-Henry to represent the Clemson offense, while linebacker Sammy Brown and defensive end Will Heldt will represent the defense.
This is a smart move by Swinney because it deflects most of the questions to him. Sure, the three student athletes will be asked about the quarterbacks, especially Patt-Henry. However, there is only so much they can answer, which will lead to other conversations.
Clemson left the spring with a two-man competition at quarterback. Swinney said redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina is in pole position heading into fall camp later this summer, but freshman Tait Reynolds is in serious contention to win the job, as well.
Reynolds came on early in the spring and after the Tigers’ first scrimmage he moved ahead of Trent Pearman and Chris Denson on the depth chart. It was obvious after the first practice, following spring break, who QB2 was.
Now the question is can the freshman overtake Vizzina during fall camp?
It was also a smart move to not bring a quarterback because a lot of the national media were very vocal on Swinney’s decision to not pursue an experienced quarterback in the transfer portal. The Clemson coach said he did not go after another quarterback because they already have what they need on campus.
It was a pretty strong stance — one Swinney has been criticized for over and over again during the off-season.
And yes, Vizzina would be asked about that, too. He was by one of the national writers in the spring. He was asked if he heard all the talk out there, especially since no one knew who he was.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen at the time, but I believe that we didn’t need to get one,” Vizzina said back in March. “Because I believe in myself and the rest of the team, and the development we had over the past year.”
If Swinney and new offensive coordinator Chad Morris did decide to bring in a quarterback from the portal, Vizzina said it would not have mattered to him. He would have stayed at Clemson and competed anyway.
“If they brought someone in, I was still going to stay because I care about Clemson,” he said. “Like, I just want to compete, and I want to be the quarterback for Clemson University. Bottom line.”
And he will be. He just will not be at the ACC Kickoff next month.
By Mark Sturgis