This spring will be much different for Clemson football, and in several different ways.

Not only will the Tigers have to introduce a ton of new faces on the defensive side of the ball, but they will also be introducing a new scheme on the offensive side with Chad Morris being brought back into the fold to replace the fired Garrett Riley.

However, one of the biggest things that will be different about this spring is the fact that there will be a legitimate quarterback competition, and it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen one of those at Clemson. You have to go all the way back to the 2018 spring when Trevor Lawrence arrived on campus with Kelly Bryant as the incumbent. And this spring, there is no incumbent. The job is wide open.

Some have already penciled in Chris Vizzina as the starter, seeing as he’s patiently waited his turn for three years, and he very well may end up being the guy. However, Dabo Swinney has made it clear that the job will not be handed to him out of sheer loyalty. He will have to beat out Chris Denson, as well as the two incoming freshmen, Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley.

“He’s been waiting his time, and now is his time,” Swinney said of Vizzina back in December. “Now, he’s got to win the job. Same thing with Denson. I mean, Denson didn’t come here to stand on the sidelines. He came here to compete. So, let’s go compete.”

The fact that a new offensive coordinator is in place means that all the quarterbacks will basically be starting with a clean slate when it comes to learning the new scheme. No one guy will have an advantage over the other in that regard.

For those assuming Vizzina will be the guy, Denson just might have something to say about that. He still has a little work to do when it comes to the passing game, but we’ve seen Morris work wonders with his quarterbacks in the past, and that is what spring practice is for. The southpaw has certainly proved he can be electric with the ball in his hands.

No matter who wins the job, having a legitimate quarterback battle will make this spring different. Who knows, maybe the competition even extends into the fall.

Photo by Bart Boatwright