{"id":86218,"date":"2026-03-31T13:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=86218"},"modified":"2026-03-31T13:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:00:07","slug":"clemsons-productive-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/03\/31\/clemsons-productive-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Clemson\u2019s Productive Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"
With the conclusion of the Spring game last weekend, Clemson\u2019s Spring camp is finished. According to Dabo Swinney, following the final scrimmage, the Tigers\u2019 Spring was very productive.<\/span><\/div>\n
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That\u2019s exactly what Clemson fans want to hear with so many question marks surrounding the program after a 7-6 finish in 2025. The Tigers still have work to do to prepare for the opener against LSU on September 5th. The notes from Spring practices suggest they’re trending in the right direction.<\/span><\/div>\n

Clemson\u2019s Productive Spring<\/h2>\n

Quarterback Situation\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The biggest question mark for this program heading into 2026 is what the quarterback situation will be<\/a>. <\/span>Cade Klubnik<\/a> was a three-year starter for the Tigers and only missed one game in that time. For much of Klubnik\u2019s time as the starter, his backup was Christopher Vizzina<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The redshirt junior was tabbed as the next man up when Klubnik moved on, since he arrived on campus. In his one career start, Vizzina performed very well against SMU. He completed 69% of his passes against the Mustangs for 317 yards and three touchdowns. His other appearances, typically late in games, were not nearly as impressive. Combine that uncertainty with the rise of Chris Denson and the arrival of two talented freshmen, and Vizzina\u2019s starting job became less of a certainty. <\/span><\/div>\n
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As Spring camp closes, Vizzina still holds the pole position. He also began to separate himself a bit. Denson was seen as his main competitor for the job at the start of spring, but the staff hasn\u2019t seen him develop enough as a passer. Many fans were disappointed to hear that, but Swinney added that Denson will see the field this season no matter what. <\/span><\/div>\n
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However, things are not completely safe for Vizzina. Freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds has separated himself from the pack as well. His size and athleticism turned heads all spring. Going into Fall camp, Vizzina hasn\u2019t done anything to fall out of the top spot, Swinney says, but Reynolds has done enough to climb to be the clear number two. When asked if Reynolds can potentially win the starting job, Swinney responded, \u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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Impressive Young Players <\/span><\/h3>\n
Reynolds is not the only young player to have an impressive first Spring in Clemson. He\u2019s got three wide receivers in his class to throw to who\u2019ve each brought something different to the program. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Connor Salmin\u2019s straight-line speed has been talked about since day one. Naeem Burroughs is said to be a natural athlete with fluid movements. Swinney said that Gordon Sellars is the most consistent in this group and furthest along in his technique. Sellars proved this in the spring game, finishing with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown, which he caught one-handed. All three players have gone through some growing pains, but have improved every day. <\/span><\/div>\n
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However, the most talked-about player from the 2026 class outside of Reynolds is safety Polo Anderson. His athleticism and physicality caught everyone\u2019s eye over the last few weeks. Every coach who has spoken to the media has praised Anderson. Swinney himself said about the true freshman, \u201cgot a lot to learn\u2026but catches your eye every day. I don\u2019t know that there\u2019s a day that went by that I didn\u2019t notice eleven.\u201d <\/span><\/div>\n
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Swinney went on to add that Anderson doesn\u2019t have the IQ level of the older guys yet and compared him to star linebacker Sammy Brown<\/a> in his first year. Much like Brown did as a freshman, Anderson is getting a ton of information thrown at him, which is slowing his learning. As he picks things up, though, the glimpses start to show. <\/span><\/div>\n

Defense Trending Upwards <\/span><\/h3>\n
Anderson\u2019s rapid growth adds a needed piece to the Clemson defense, which is aiming to improve. Swinney and Tom Allen wasted no time this offseason <\/span>hitting the transfer portal to find players that fit the scheme and program<\/a><\/span>. Going into the offseason, Allen stressed that he wanted to get his defense longer and faster. It looks like he accomplished both. <\/span><\/div>\n
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The secondary was the most concerning group last year. According to reports out of this year\u2019s Spring camp, that group is much improved. The additions of Jerome Carter<\/a>, Corey Myrick<\/a>, and Elliot Washington II<\/a> give the Tigers high-IQ vets who make plays. Meanwhile, players such as Ronan Hanafin, Ashton Hampton, and Misun Kelley are said to have taken strides in their development. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Even though the Tigers missed out on their transfer linebacker, they feel confident in the development of the group. Allen says he\u2019s got three solid players in Sammy Brown, Jeremiah Alexander, and Kobe McCloud, who he feels comfortable rotating. He just needs to find one more player to give him a true two-deep for both linebacker positions. Fletcher Cothran is a name to look for to fill the last spot in that four-man rotation. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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The one concern Allen has as the spring comes to an end is the defensive line. He mentioned last week that he wanted to see that group elevate, and it seems they got the message. The Orange team in the spring game racked up nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Overall, there were 11 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in the spring game. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Darien Mayo<\/a> had an excellent day with six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. Transfers London Merritt and Markus Strong also had strong showings in their first appearances in front of a crowd inside Memorial Stadium.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Figuring Out the Offense <\/span><\/h3>\n
While it’s been said that the defense has had the most productive Spring, the offense is improving day by day. It\u2019s no secret to those who\u2019ve followed Clemson football since his first run that Chad Morris\u2019 offense is not easy to grasp in 15 practices. Much of that has to do with the tempo Morris wants his offense to play at.<\/span><\/div>\n
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It also does not help that the Tigers have had to deal with quite a few of their top weapons not participating much of the Spring, due to injury. TJ Moore, Cole Turner, and Tristin Smith all did not practice much, if at all, this Spring. Bryant Wesco participated in all of the practices, but was very limited. This meant the young receiver corps of Sellars, Burroughs, and Salmin had to step up and take many of the first-team reps. The same happened on the front, with names like Brayden Jacobs and Colin Sadler sitting out much of the Spring.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Much of the skepticism still surrounding this team stems from the uncertainty around the offense. The verdict is still out on the Morris hire for many Clemson fans, and the quarterback situation doesn\u2019t help much. There was only one transfer brought in on the offensive side of the ball, running back Chris Johnson Jr.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The quarterback race has much more clarity now, however. Also, all the players who sat out this Spring are expected to come back healthy by the Fall. There will be growing pains, but Morris and the rest of the staff seem determined to get the offense figured out.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Main Photo: Ken Ruinard \/ USA Today Co \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the conclusion of the Spring game last weekend, Clemson\u2019s Spring camp is finished. According to Dabo Swinney, following the final scrimmage, the Tigers\u2019 Spring was very productive. That\u2019s exactly what Clemson fans want to hear with so many question marks surrounding the program after a 7-6 finish in 2025. The Tigers still have work […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4614,"featured_media":86227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35645,7,2,17],"tags":[36001,35119,680,35117,35118,35980,35116,1073],"class_list":["post-86218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clemson-tigers","category-acc","category-featured","category-news","tag-chris-denson","tag-connor-salmin","tag-dabo-swinney","tag-gordon-sellars","tag-naeem-burroughs","tag-polo-anderson","tag-tait-reynolds","tag-tom-allen"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4614"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86218"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86224,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86218\/revisions\/86224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}