ESPN ranked every FBS quarterback situation entering the 2026 season, and Clemson is in the middle of the pack.

ESPN separated all 138 FBS QB situations into 25 tiers, and Clemson landed in Tier 12 – a tier called, “What’s behind Door No. 2?”

Clemson’s No. 1 and No. 2 QBs coming out of spring ball — Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds, respectively — are two of the eight players in the aforementioned tier, along with Cincinnati’s JC French IV and Samaj Jones, North Carolina’s Billy Edwards Jr. and Travis Burgess, and Tennessee’s George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon.

“Tier 12 presents the ultimate combination of the devil you know vs. the one you don’t,” ESPN’s David Hale wrote. “On one hand, each of these teams could go with a veteran player — either an in-house talent or a portal addition. They’re all safe(ish) bets. On the other hand, there’s a true freshman with massive upside and virtually no practice reps.

“With each team coming off a disappointing season, the pressure to go with the young player will be immense. Clemson fans are already bored with Vizzina, and they’ve seen this story unfold before — in 2014 (Deshaun Watson), 2018 (Trevor Lawrence) and 2022 (Cade Klubnik) — when Dabo Swinney went with the veteran to start, only to make a change somewhere along the way.”

Hale pointed out a key stat regarding Clemson QBs over the last decade – that Clemson’s Total QBR from 2015 to 2020 (when the Tigers made six straight College Football Playoff appearances) was 82.1, third nationally; while Clemson’s Total QBR from 2021 to 2025 was 60.7, 62nd in the country.

The redshirt junior Vizzina is currently still in the “pole position” for Clemson’s starting job in 2026, as Swinney said after the Tigers’ spring game on March 28, while Swinney deemed the true freshman Reynolds the clear No. 2 after Vizzina in the current competition.

Swinney said those two guys have clearly separated themselves in the QB race to this point, and Swinney readily admitted that Reynolds really has a shot at pushing for the starting job.

ESPN also recently weighed in on various quarterback battles to watch around college football – including what to look for as Vizzina and Reynolds compete to be Clemson’s QB1.

“Reynolds was undeniably the breakout star of spring practice for the Tigers,” ESPN’s Max Olson wrote. “The 6-foot-2, 215-pound true freshman, a four-star recruit from Arizona, came in and proved he’ll be ready to play early in his first semester in the program. But coach Dabo Swinney has a lot of faith in Vizzina and his preparedness to step up and embrace his starting opportunity.

“The fourth-year junior has appeared in 14 games and logged 233 snaps as a backup to Cade Klubnik. Vizzina got a chance to start against SMU last season and threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-42 passing in a 35-24 loss.

“Reynolds competed with three other passers for No. 2 duties this spring and left no doubt he was the best option. Swinney has been describing him as an ‘elite talent’ since signing day, and it seems clear his time will come sooner than later. The fact Clemson opens the season at LSU is tough to ignore in this discussion. Vizzina’s experience is a significant advantage, but Reynolds will keep pushing him in August.”

Before enrolling at Clemson in January 2023, Vizzina was ranked among the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 recruiting class. The high four-star had more than 30 offers, including from some of the best football programs in the country.

Heading into 2026 after his first three years at Clemson from 2023-25, Vizzina has completed 61 percent of his passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns with one interception in 238 career offensive snaps across 14 games (one start), while also rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries.

As for Reynolds, who enrolled at Clemson this past January, he 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.

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.