Swinney: Freshman QB Chris Denson Shows Poise in Clemson Spring Game
The moment never looked too big for Chris Denson during his first collegiate snaps. In Clemson’s annual spring game, the freshman quarterback from Plant City, Florida, quietly impressed with a performance that, while not flashy, spoke volumes about his potential.
Denson completed all four of his pass attempts for 53 yards and added four carries for nine yards, showing off a calm command of the offense that caught the attention of head coach Dabo Swinney.
“We got him in early, and we got all of our groups in there,” Swinney said after the game. “Denson is a kid that—he’s really spinning, but you don't ever see it, and you don't ever feel it. He's just calm and cool all the time.”
That poise, Swinney said, is what makes Denson different. It’s what allowed the 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback to look the part in front of a Death Valley crowd, even while sharing the field with more experienced players.
"That's one of the things I really like about him. He's got a ton of poise,” Swinney added.
Denson capped his day with a beautifully placed wheel route that layered over the top of the defense, a throw that had Clemson coaches nodding on the sideline. He also dropped in a back-shoulder ball while fading away from pressure, flashing natural instincts in tight space.
“Obviously, he can really, really run, but he's just got a lot of poise,” Swinney said. “It was really good to see that. For him to go out there the first time and—he layered the wheel route to get out of the backfield. He threw a nice other little back shoulder ball as well, kind of falling away from the defense. It was awesome.”
Denson enrolled early and has been absorbing the offense throughout the spring, working with quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. While the freshman is still raw in some areas, particularly in building up his lower body strength to drive the ball downfield with more consistency, the early signs are promising.
"He's gotta develop his lower half when it comes to really delivering the ball the way he needs to deliver it, and that will come," Swinney noted. "He's just a little raw there, but he is smart. He understands and sees it—he's instinctive.”
At Plant City High School, Denson was known for his dual-threat ability and football IQ. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,813 yards with 55 touchdowns and added 1,940 rushing yards. Now, at Clemson, he’s making an early case for a bright future behind center.
For now, he’ll continue to learn behind veterans Cade Klubnik and Christopher Vizzina, but Saturday’s glimpse was enough to remind Tiger fans—and maybe even a few coaches—that the quarterback room is in steady hands for years to come.
And in a place like Clemson, where quarterback play sets the tone, Denson’s first step looked like the real thing.