Once again, one of Clemson’s biggest games of the season will take place in the Tigers’ season opener.

Dabo Swinney’s team will travel to Baton Rouge for a primetime matchup against what is surely to be a Top 10 LSU team on September 5. Clemson lost to LSU 17-10 at home to kick off the 2025 campaign, a season that saw both teams fail to live up to lofty preseason expectations.

This will also mark Lane Kiffin’s debut as LSU’s head coach after taking over for Brian Kelly, who was fired in October.

Not only is Clemson coming off an extremely disappointing 7-6 season that concluded with a dismal loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, but the Tigers are also breaking in a new quarterback, as well as a new offensive coordinator, with Chad Morris returning to lead the team on that side of the ball. While Chris Vizzina is the presumed starter at quarterback, nothing is set in stone after true freshman Tait Reynolds made a strong push during the spring.

Despite all the changes for the Tigers, ESPN analyst EJ Manuel believes the season-opener is a game Swinney’s team has to win, and he believes both Vizzina and Reynolds will see action.

“Normally I would say, heck no, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Tait Reynolds at least gets his feet wet and gets some run,” Manuel said on a recent episode of The Gramlich and Mac Lain Podcast. “I don’t know if it’s a package — I’m not saying go out there and be rolling with the offense. Now, if Vizzina is stinking it up, if he’s the starter and not playing well, as a head coach, you’ve got to do what you have to do. So, like I said, he’s going to give you an opportunity, but you’ve got to go out there and play well because that’s a must-win to me, guys. I think for Clemson, to hold the attention of the country, you need to win against LSU.

“That is a huge game. And also, that’s a huge notch in Clemson’s belt and their benefit to get into the playoff later in the year. If they happen to drop one or two in the ACC. So, I think that’s a must-win, and whichever QB is going to be out there, handle your business.”

Vizzina is entering his fourth season in the program. He’s made just one start, throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-24 loss. During his career, he’s appeared in 14 games, completing 64-of-105 passes for 596 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

While that experience gives him an advantage over the upstart Reynolds, there have been examples during the Swinney era of a true freshman taking over the starting role. Deshaun Watson did it in 2014, Trevor Lawrence did it in 2018 and while it took longer, Cade Klubnik did it in 2021.

“Obviously, Chis Vizzina stayed true to his commitment to Clemson,” Manuel added. “His ability to stay there, I obviously respect the crap out of that. Kinda been a guy in-house to prepare and develop, but Coach Swinney’s eyebrows kinda raised when he started talking about Tait Reynolds. Whoever’s going to be at Clemson — alright now, this is a big car you gotta drive now, and I would imagine it would help Vizzina because he’s been there. He’s seen the ups and the downs from maybe what Cade Klubnik had went through. So that leg up should help him, but I think Coach Swinney’s in a position where he’s going to play whoever the best guy is.

“And so, I heard great things about Tait Reynolds. Don’t know a lot about him, besides he’s got big arms and all that kind of stuff, and he can play, but I have seen Chris Vizzina play, and I do think, if he is the starter — I think he can hold that position, and I do think Clemson is going to win a lot of games with Vizzina for sure.”