CLEMSON – The quarterback room is a competitive one and it’s something offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is excited to see.

Cade Klubnik is the sure starter for 2024. No one is doubting that but Christopher Vizzina is putting pressure on him that’s helping both improve throughout the spring.

After the Wednesday scrimmage, Riley was asked about the battles and he had a lot to say about the pair.

“There’s competition there and that’s what’s good. You get a guy (CV) that’s going to put the ball in play and I don’t care what team if it’s ones, twos, threes, whoever and whatever group he’s in, he’s leading and we’re driving the ball and scoring touchdowns. That’s naturally going to kind of create that competition and that’s what we’re seeing right now,” Riley said.

Klubnik’s evolution is something Riley keyed on, saying high school is one thing and he had to go through the growing pains and quite literally see the mistakes happen. Throughout the 2023 season, the sophomore improved and eliminated the head-scratching turnovers to spark the turnaround in November.

Vizzina had to wait his turn as a freshman, but he said during availability last month that he’s showing what he can do in practice now that he’s comfortable. Both had their bright spots in the scrimmage and it’s sharpening iron on the field.

“Cade had a really nice day. He was consistent, really sparked the whole day with a play he made with his feet and found Wesco for a pretty nice one, big play and that just kind of sparked the whole day so I was happy with Cade and how he kind of bounced back from last scrimmage,” Riley said. “CV is doing a lot of good things. He’s improving, getting reps and you can tell he’s becoming more confident every single day but he kind of had a bad play today and the great thing you see in these scrimmages…he bounced back and had a great play and that’s always a good sign that you see from a quarterback.”

Clemson didn’t have a true competitor for Klubnik last season and the talented Vizzina provides motivation that might have been missing in his first full year as the starter. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and the Tigers will be better at quarterback thanks to the camaraderie.