How freshman Tait Reynolds won Clemson football's starting quarterback job

BERKELEY, CA — Clemson football is now Tait Reynolds‘ team.

Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has fully handed the reins of the offense to the freshman quarterback ahead of Clemson‘s ACC matchup with California (2-1, 1-0 ACC) on Sept. 25 (10:30 p.m., ESPN).

After a 28-20 victory over North Carolina on Sept. 19, Swinney said he would “absolutely” be the starter ahead of now-backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina.

Reynolds is far from a finished product, but has shown signs of what he can be for Clemson (2-1, 1-0). An on-target 19-yard completion to Bryant Wesco Jr. while being hit, a 17-yard run on which he broke a tackle and stiff-armed a defender, and his first career touchdown pass against the Tar Heels were some of his top highlights.

Reynolds also had big moments against Georgia Southern, such as a 45-yard completion to T.J. Moore on a line, a 20-yard completion to Tyler Brown on the run while being hit and a 16-yard run after scrambling to set up a field goal before halftime.

Here’s what to know about the Clemson freshman quarterback.

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win Clemson’s QB1 role?

Reynolds battled with Vizzina throughout fall practice, and although he made it a close competition, Vizzina was named Clemson’s Week 1 starter. Vizzina, a senior, struggled vs LSU, as did Reynolds.

Vizzina hasn’t played since getting injured against Georgia Southern, but Swinney said his decision to start Reynolds was solely based on how both quarterbacks played. Vizzina is probable to be the backup vs Cal.

“We do feel like he’s earned the opportunity to start this week, and so he will be in as the starter, and just build on the good things he did and correct some of the very correctable mistakes that I think, as he plays, he will correct,” Swinney said.

Swinney was even more convinced after the win over UNC. Reynolds helped the Tigers rally from 17-3 down with three second-half touchdown drives, including two in the fourth quarter after a long weather delay.

“He’s a competitor, and you saw it … Some big-time plays in a big environment,” Swinney said. “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.”

Reynolds made his first appearance against LSU Sept. 5, playing from the 1:10 mark of the second quarter to the 10:43 mark of the fourth quarter. Clemson was already trailing 31-3 by the time he entered, and he completed 4 of 6 passes for 22 yards by the time he exited. Clemson lost 51-10.

Reynolds entered the Georgia Southern game on Clemson’s fourth drive and played the remainder of it after Vizzina’s elbow injury sidelined him. Reynolds lost a fumble on his first drive and finished 16-for-27 for 178 passing yards and 38 rushing yards in his first extensive playing time in a 22-7 win.

Reynolds then started his first game against UNC. He overthrew a pass for an interception on his first second-half drive, but rebounded with his first college touchdown on a 27-yard pass to Christian Bentancur in the third quarter. Reynolds finished 20 for 29 for 215 passing yards.

Reynolds was born and raised in Queen Creek, Arizona, where he was the second-youngest of six children. He has two older brothers who play college football: Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds and UT-Martin linebacker Porter Reynolds. He also has a younger sister, Emma, who plays high school softball and is committed to Oklahoma. Reynolds’ father, Paul, was a linebacker at Arizona State from 1996-97.

As a sophomore at Queen Creek High School in 2023, Reynolds threw for 1,808 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 631 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a junior in 2024, he threw for 2,238 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 1,426 yards and 19 touchdowns to earn first-team all-state honors and Arizona Player of the Year honors from the Arizona Cardinals. A hamstring injury kept Reynolds out for most of his senior season.

Reynolds was a three-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, a 2025 Elite 11 finalist and ESPN’s No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2026. He’s also committed to the Tigers for baseball, where he was named a 2025 Under Armour All-American. Reynolds won a 6A baseball state title with Queen Creek in 2024 after he hit a walk-off single in the championship game.

Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at ncoppola@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @Nick_Coppola__ and like his Facebook page at Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports.