Of course, true freshman Tait Reynolds remains Clemson’s starting quarterback and is preparing to make his third career start on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., ABC) when the Tigers host No. 4 Miami at Memorial Stadium.

But who is Clemson’s QB2 right now ?

Swinney was asked that question Wednesday evening and said that fifth-year quarterback Trent Pearman is currently the immediate backup to Reynolds for the Miami game.

While senior quarterback Christopher Vizzina is listed as the No. 2 QB on Clemson’s official depth chart, and is available to play if needed, he is still not 100% healthy as he continues to recover from his left elbow injury.

Because of that, Swinney says Pearman would be the next man up if Reynolds were forced out of action.

“It’d be Trent. Trent would go right now,” Swinney said of the QB2 situation. “He’s 100%, and [Vizzina], if we had to have him, he could play. But again, he’s not 100% with his left arm, so we would go with Trent first.”

Swinney also gave the latest injury update on Vizzina on Wednesday evening.

Pearman, who joined Clemson as a walk-on in 2022, has yet to appear in a game this season. He entered this season having appeared in six games during his career, completing 4-of-10 career passes for 43 yards with an interception and rushing five times for 17 yards in 33 career snaps.

A two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina, Pearman finished with a 24-0 career record as starting quarterback at nearby Daniel High School, throwing for 6,555 yards and 80 touchdowns with an additional 476 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He guided Daniel to back-to-back Class 3A state titles in 2020 and 2021.

Reynolds took over Clemson’s QB1 job ahead of the Week 3 matchup vs. North Carolina following Vizzina’s injury and struggles. Swinney definitively backed Reynolds as the long-term starter after he helped lead the Tigers to a comeback victory over the Tar Heels.