Swinney Breaks Down Tait Reynolds' Growth in Comeback: 'It's Hard to Coach What He Has'

Dabo Swinney didn't pretend Tait Reynolds played a perfect game in his first career start.

Actually, Clemson's head coach spent several minutes Saturday explaining exactly what the freshman quarterback got wrong.

There were missed reads. A poorly executed screen. An RPO Reynolds should have thrown instead of handing off. At times, Swinney could sense his young quarterback becoming frustrated.

Then Reynolds settled in.

By the end of Clemson's 28-20 comeback win over North Carolina, Swinney had seen something much more important from the true freshman who recently won Clemson's starting quarterback job.

“He's just gonna get better, and we gotta grow with him,” Swinney said.

Reynolds completed 20-of-29 passes for 215 yards, helping Clemson erase a 17-3 deficit. Additionally, Reynolds completed his final seven passes for 115 yards.

That finish looked considerably different from what Swinney saw early.

“The quarterback? Frustrating first half,” Swinney said.

Swinney then offered a revealing glimpse into Reynolds' growing pains.

On one play, Clemson wanted Reynolds to throw a slant to T.J. Moore based on the defensive look. Instead, Swinney said Reynolds made up his mind before the snap and worked the wrong side of the concept against man coverage.

“Just post-snap confirmation, not making your mind up pre-snap,” Swinney said. “He's holding the ball because it's man coverage and he's reading the zone side.”

Another opportunity came on a screen designed for Bryant Wesco Jr. Swinney believed the play might have gained roughly 40 yards, but Reynolds hurried the easy throw and put it behind Wesco.

Then came an RPO in which North Carolina brought five-man pressure. Swinney said Reynolds should have recognized the vacated space and thrown the football. Instead, he handed it off.

Individually, they were correctable mistakes. Collectively, they looked like exactly what Reynolds is: a talented freshman learning to play quarterback at the college level.

“You could just feel he was getting a little frustrated,” Swinney said. “Now you're doing too much.”

The important part was what happened afterward.

Reynolds directed an 88-yard possession before halftime that ended with a field goal, then led Clemson on a 92-yard touchdown drive in the second half. He connected with Christian Bentancur for a 27-yard touchdown, pulling the Tigers within 17-15.

“You just see him really settling in,” Swinney said.

Following the lengthy lightning delay, Reynolds got another opportunity with Clemson trailing 20-15.

He completed passes to Gideon Davidson and Moore on a four-play, 68-yard touchdown drive, with Davidson scoring from eight yards out to give Clemson its first lead.

For Reynolds, it completed a starting debut that provided a clearer picture of both where he is and where Clemson believes he can go.

The freshman was hardly flawless.

But less than a week after Swinney made it clear Reynolds had passed Christopher Vizzina and “won the job,” Reynolds showed some of the qualities that convinced Clemson to hand him the offense.

Swinney pointed to Reynolds' arm talent, his ability to throw from the pocket and on the move, and his potential as a runner. But the trait that stood out Saturday wasn't something Clemson's coaches could draw on a whiteboard.

“He's a competitor,” Swinney said. “You saw it. I mean, some big-time plays, man, in a big environment. You're down 17-3, and everything's against you, to just have the toughness to keep believing.”

Then Swinney offered perhaps his strongest assessment of Clemson's young quarterback.

“It's hard to coach that,” he said. “It's hard to coach what he has.”

Reynolds will still have plenty to learn.

Saturday showed some of those lessons in real time.

It also showed why Clemson is willing to let him learn them on the field.