Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made a lofty comparison for true freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds, solely from a physical standpoint.

During his Tuesday press conference, Swinney was asked if Reynolds reminds him of any other quarterback physically.

Swinney hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to liken Reynolds to former Florida star and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, specifically focusing on the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Reynolds’ robust build and rushing ability rather than a total player-to-player comp.

“I hate to even say it, but I recruited Tebow – so physically, he’s just gifted like that,” Swinney said of Reynolds. “And Tebow was a multi-sport star, and Tim was a very, very tough, gritty competitor.”

Reynolds is also a two-sport standout who has exceled on the baseball diamond in addition to his football success. Initially, many believed his future would center around baseball. He was originally committed to play baseball at Arizona State. Although the more football he played, the more apparent it became that he possessed the tools to be a high-level quarterback.

Swinney stressed that he is not comparing Reynolds to Tebow overall as a player, but highlighted the similarities in their physical gifts and rushing skills.

“I’m not saying he’s Tim Tebow – please don’t say that and write that. … I’m just saying he’s physically gifted like that,” Swinney said.

“[Former Clemson QB] Tajh [Boyd] was physically gifted and was a good runner. Tait has the ability, as the game slows down for him, to be a runner with some swagger, as the game slows down.”

This past Sunday, Swinney officially named Reynolds as the starting quarterback for Clemson’s Week 3 showdown against North Carolina on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, over senior Christopher Vizzina.

Reynolds earned the nod after taking over for an injured Vizzina during Clemson’s 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern last Saturday. Swinney noted that Reynolds earned the opportunity based on his performance and overall body of work, not because Vizzina is banged up after suffering a left arm injury in the Georgia Southern game.

Reynolds made his college debut in the season opener at LSU on Sept. 5, completing 4-of-6 passes for 22 yards. After coming in for Vizzina vs. Georgia Southern, Reynolds completed 16-of-27 passes for 178 yards, while rushing 14 times for 38 yards.

“He’s going to make some mistakes,” Swinney added of Reynolds. “We’re going to grow with him. But I think we’ve got a special kid. I think we’ve got a special player, and we’ll probably hit some bumps in the road. But he’s got a bright, bright future.”

Reynolds was the No. 3 prospect in the state of Arizona and the 11th-best dual-threat quarterback nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, according to ESPN.

Swinney has previously raved about Reynolds’ tools, mentioning that “he’s big, he can fly and he’s got a rocket-launcher” for an arm and set weight room records upon arriving to Clemson.

“He’s probably got every record in the weight room for quarterbacks in the history of our school, as a true freshman. He’s just very, very gifted,” Swinney said earlier this month. “He’s obviously a two-sport star. Not a two-sport good player – he’s a two-sport star, and gave up baseball this spring to come compete, and he’s done that.”

A hamstring injury basically robbed Reynolds of his entire senior season at Queen Creek (Ariz.) High School, but before that, he completed 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,238 yards with 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions as a junior in 2024. He also rushed 137 times for 1,426 yards and 19 touchdowns that year en route to being named by the Arizona Cardinals as the state’s player of the year.