Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney stated during his postgame interview on ESPN, after the Tigers’ 28-20 comeback win over North Carolina on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, that true freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds “is going to be a problem for a long time.”

“He ain’t going to do nothing but get better,” Swinney told ESPN.

Reynolds’ solidified his grip on Clemson’s starting QB job with his performance Saturday in what was his first career start for the Tigers.

During his postgame press conference, Swinney was asked if he saw enough from Reynolds against North Carolina for him to be the Tigers’ long-term starter going forward, and Swinney’s answer was a resounding yes.

Swinney made it clear that the freshman showed enough to anchor the position moving forward.

“Absolutely,” Swinney said. “Absolutely.”

After logging 16 snaps in the blowout loss to LSU to start the season, Reynolds saw much more extensive action in Week 2 against Georgia Southern. He entered on the fourth offensive series and went the rest of the way, completing 16 of 27 passes for 178 yards, while also adding another 38 yards on the ground in Clemson’s win.

Reynolds then took the first-team reps in practice this past week in preparation for his first college start.

“Obviously we threw him into a really tough situation in our opener,” Swinney said. “But last week, with extensive play, he got a chance to really show some of the gifts that only can show up when you’re really playing live football. And he missed some things, did some good things, but he got his first week getting all the reps. I thought he had a good week [of practice]. But he just has gotten better and better and better.”

Reynolds finished Saturday’s game against the Tar Heels 20 of 29 for 215 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception, while also rushing for 26 yards.

The former four-star prospect from Arizona, who enrolled at Clemson in January, overcame a rough first half where he struggled early on. He helped engineer a big comeback, rallying the Tigers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) from a 17-3 deficit midway through the second quarter and 17-6 deficit at halftime.

Reynolds threw a 27-yard touchdown pass – his first career TD pass — to tight end Christian Bentancur with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter, bringing Clemson to within two points. He then guided two more touchdown drives in the fourth quarter following a lightning delay that lasted close to two and a half hours, helping propel the Tigers past the Tar Heels (2-1, 0-1).

Swinney praised his talent, competitiveness and toughness in fighting through adversity.

“He’s obviously a very gifted kid,” Swinney said. “He’s got an elite arm. He can throw from the pocket, he can throw on the move, he can run, and he’s going to get even better as a runner once he really learns how to run with the type of patience and understanding of how to set the blocks and all that stuff. He’s going to get better at that.

“But he’s a competitor. … In a big environment, and you’re down 17-3, and everything’s against you – to just have the toughness to keep believing. It’s hard to coach that. It’s hard to coach what he has. So, really proud of him.”

Clemson continues ACC play on Friday night when it travels to play the California Golden Bears. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.