In an episode of his Always College Football show, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy explained why the 2026 season will be a “quarterback reset” year – where transition creates volatility, and volatility is where preseason rankings go to die.

“Now, every year, you see turnover at quarterback. That’s normal,” McElroy said. “Guys graduate, guys go pro, guys transfer, and at this point, some quarterbacks switch schools so often, the moving truck should just flat-out get a letterman jacket. It’s unreal.

“But every so often, you get a season where multiple national title contenders, bluebloods, rising programs, all kind of hit the new era at quarterback around the same time. And when that happens, the sport changes pretty quickly, because quarterback continuity gives you predictability. Quarterback transition creates a little bit of volatility, and volatility is where the surprises live, and that’s where preseason rankings get humbled. That’s where teams that you didn’t think were ready to show up in November are like, ‘Hey, what’s up. We’re here now.’”

Of course, Clemson is among the teams in a transitional phase at the quarterback position. The Tigers are tasked with replacing Cade Klubnik after he served as the starting signal caller for the last three seasons and exhausted his eligibility in 2025.

As Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said last month, rising redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina — a former national top-50 prospect who served as Klubnik’s backup – heads into spring practice in the “pole position” to take over as the starter in 2026.

McElroy weighed in on Clemson’s QB situation entering next season and says Vizzina is the “development versus portal economy test,” and that the “development model” will be on trial with Vizzina as the Tigers are sticking with development instead of signing a transfer QB this offseason.

“The 2026 quarterback story for Clemson is one of the most — philosophical, I guess, for lack of a better word – philosophical case studies in the sport,” McElroy said. “Because Clemson’s not just picking a starter – they’ve defended an approach for a while, and the projection right now is Chris Vizzina as Clemson’s starter. And the reasoning is this – this is Clemson, they’ve recruited him, they’ve developed him, and that’s what they do. That’s what they’ve done for the last few years. Now, they’ve dabbled in the portal more this year than they have in the past, but they want to develop from within.”

McElroy wonders, can homegrown talent still win at Clemson in a transfer portal economy?

“So here’s the question. In a sport where most of the top programs are out shopping for quarterbacks like it’s the world’s most aggressive draft strategy ever, can Clemson still win at the highest level with a homegrown quarterback pipeline?” McElroy asked. “Now if Vizzina hits and Clemson looks smart and ahead of the curve in a different way and they’re going to be stable, because stability at quarterback lets you develop identity over time. But if he struggles, then Clemson’s going to face the harsh reality of what it’s like to live in modern times. Not that development is bad, but that the quarterback market has changed the competitive timeline.”

McElroy added that Vizzina doesn’t need to be a Heisman-finalist caliber of QB for Clemson to be successful.

“So here’s the key point – Clemson’s defense is often going to be one of the better groups in the ACC. They are often good enough to win games. But if the offense is functional and high-level, then those might be the moments that decide the outcome,” McElroy said. “So Vizzina doesn’t have to be a Heisman finalist for Clemson to be good. But he does need to be consistent on third down, efficient in the red zone, avoid mistakes against top-quality competition. Because Clemson’s championship vision is always going to be, hey, defense travels, and quarterback elevates. That’s how they’ve won championships in the past, and that’s going to be the measuring stick with how Clemson proceeds into the future as well.”

Heading into 2026 after his first three years at Clemson from 2023-25, Vizzina has completed 61 percent of his passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in 238 career offensive snaps across 14 games (one start), while also rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries.

This past season, Vizzina appeared in five games, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, while also rushing for 41 yards on 25 carries. He made his first career start vs. SMU at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 18, as Klubnik missed the contest after suffering a sprained ankle in the Tigers’ game at Boston College one week earlier. In the 35-24 loss to SMU, Vizzina completed 29-of-42 passes for 317 yards with three touchdowns for a pass efficiency rating of 156.0. He did not throw an interception, though he fumbled twice and lost one of them.

Along with Vizzina, other quarterbacks on Clemson’s 2026 roster include Chris Denson, who will be a redshirt freshman next season, and former walk-on Trent Pearman, who will be a redshirt senior. Clemson also signed a pair of quarterbacks in its 2026 recruiting class – four-star Tait Reynolds and three-star Brock Bradley.