Spring practice for the 2026 season is underway for college football teams across the country. On Feb. 25, Clemson began the first of 15 spring practices which will conclude at the end of March.

With spring ball kicking off, ESPN released a 2026 ACC spring preview highlighting a key storyline, position of intrigue and player to watch for each team in the league.

When it comes to Clemson, the Tigers head into the upcoming campaign hoping to bounce back from a 7-6 record in 2025, the second-worst season in Dabo Swinney’s tenure at Clemson.

The Tigers’ spring storyline, as ESPN sees it, centers around Swinney’s hire of Chad Morris. As you know, Morris was officially hired as the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator on Jan. 5, replacing Garrett Riley, who was fired on Dec. 29 after three seasons as Clemson’s OC. Morris previously served as Clemson’s OC from 2011-14, and also spent one season at Clemson in 2023 as an offensive analyst.

“What’s old is new again on offense for the Tigers,” ESPN wrote. “Dabo Swinney landed the hottest name in the coordinator ranks in 2022 in former TCU assistant Garrett Riley — a rare departure from Clemson’s insular hiring history — and it went horribly. The Tigers’ offense stagnated, Cade Klubnik failed to develop, and it all culminated with a 2025 season that was Swinney’s worst in 15 years. So after parting ways with Riley, Swinney opted to go back to what has worked in the past, bringing in former OC Chad Morris to lead the turnaround. Morris hasn’t called plays since 2020, and hasn’t coached at Clemson since 2014, but Swinney thinks a little of the old magic can be rekindled for an offense that has wavered between mediocre and bad since Trevor Lawrence departed following the 2020 season.”

As for Clemson’s position of intrigue, ESPN says it’s the defensive line.

There is no question that the Tigers will feature some different players up front along the defensive line this year, as former five-star Peter Woods is gone, as are DeMonte Capehart and T.J. Parker. Key reserve Cade Denhoff has exhausted his eligibility.

With that in mind, the Tigers were active in the portal, adding four defensive linemen, along with signing a JUCO defensive tackle. The staff also signed three from the high school ranks during the early signing period in December — one tackle and two ends.

“There are myriad questions on this year’s Clemson roster, most of which are on offense, but if there’s one major area awaiting answers, it’s the defensive front,” ESPN wrote. “In truth, it’s not been a unit that’s matched its expectations for a few years, but even amid last season’s struggles, the D-line was loaded with high-level players like Peter Woods and T.J. Parker. In 2026, however, it’s something akin to a fresh start on the D-line with perhaps the least amount of established stars ready for spring ball since 2012.

“The D-line has been Clemson’s calling card during the Tigers’ best years — from Vic Beasley to Christian Wilkins to Woods and Parker. This year, transfer Will Heldt returns, but the rest of the depth chart has plenty of unknowns. Edge rusher Jaheim Lawson showed promise in 2025, and Vic Burley has some experience up the middle. Aside from that, the Tigers figure to rely on serious development from freshmen and redshirts like Champ Thompson, Amare Adams, Ari Watford and Darien Mayo, along with transfers London Merritt, Markus Strong, CJ Wesley and Kourtney Kelly. There’s hope, however, that this group will produce some serious contributors and, after years of disappointment from five-star talent, be a pleasant surprise.”

Meanwhile, ESPN pegged rising redshirt junior quarterback Christopher Vizzina as the player to watch for Clemson.

Vizzina — a former national top-50 prospect who served as Klubnik’s backup – entered spring practice in the “pole position”, as Swinney put it, to take over as the starter in 2026.

Swinney himself made the decision not to sign a transfer quarterback this offseason. Along with Vizzina, other quarterbacks on Clemson’s 2026 roster include Chris Denson, who will be a redshirt freshman this season, and former walk-on Trent Pearman, who will be a redshirt senior. Clemson also signed a pair of quarterbacks in its 2026 recruiting class – four-star Tait Reynolds and three-star Brock Bradley.

“In addition to bringing Morris back into the fold to call plays, Swinney opted to eschew a portal QB and stick with a guy who’s spent three years backing up Klubnik instead,” ESPN wrote. “Vizzina was solid in his lone start last year — 317 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to SMU — but there are still some big questions about whether he’s good enough to carry the Tigers’ offense, especially if he couldn’t unseat a struggling Klubnik a year ago. Perhaps he’ll be an ideal fit for Morris’ scheme. Perhaps he’ll get beat out this spring by youngsters Chris Denson or Tait Reynolds. Or, perhaps, it’ll be another year of Clemson fans wondering what happened to their once-prolific offense that churned out star QBs year after year.”

Clemson will kick off its 2026 season on Sept. 5, when it faces LSU at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

Clemson plans to hold its annual spring game at 1 p.m. on March 28.