“He's Wired the Right Way”: Dabo Swinney on Christopher Vizzina’s Spring Progress
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Christopher Vizzina has spent the past two years waiting, developing, and preparing for his moment. As Clemson’s backup quarterback behind Cade Klubnik, the redshirt sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, continues to refine his game, showing flashes of potential while working through growing pains. Head coach Dabo Swinney has seen both sides of that equation this spring.
“Some really good, and then some things where you just go, ‘oh, man,’” Swinney said of Vizzina’s play. “Just a couple layups that he needs to make. Just a couple of situational awareness things that he needs to learn from. He’s had a couple turnovers, but he can do it.”
At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Vizzina has the size and mobility to be a playmaker, and his growth from a year ago has been evident. After spending most of his freshman year on the scout team, he has seen limited action on campus, completing 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards and rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown over 94 snaps in nine games. With Klubnik’s time in Tiger Town heading towards a conclusion, the Clemson staff is pushing Vizzina harder this offseason.
“He’s just night and day from where he was last spring,” Swinney said. “Last spring was the first time he really took any reps outside of scout reps, and then that carried into the fall. We really saw him make a jump in the latter part of the season, and we’re really pushing. He’s a guy that we’re really straining this spring.”
Vizzina’s talent is clear, but his development has been about consistency. In Clemson’s most recent scrimmage, he responded to adversity with a well-placed touchdown pass in a sudden-change situation. But, according to Swinney, he’s also had moments where he’s rushed a throw on a simple flat route, missing an opportunity to score. The key for him is experience—learning to settle in and make the plays expected of him when the opportunity arises.
“He’s just got to play, and so this is our opportunity to create that stress for him,” Swinney said. “He’s gotten a lot of work with the ones, which he needs, and so he’s just going to keep getting better, because, again, he’s wired the right way. It’s important to him, and he’s a guy that we’ve got to have ready if a moment comes up where we need him to go win a game.”
That moment may not come in 2025 if Klubnik stays healthy, but Clemson is making sure Vizzina is ready if it does.
