This spring has been notably different for Christopher Vizzina than his previous two springs at Clemson.

A big reason why?

Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s coaching staff have allowed Vizzina, the Tigers’ backup quarterback, to step in and take some first-team reps in place of starter Cade Klubnik – and according to Vizzina, that has helped him make significant developmental strides ahead of his redshirt sophomore season.  

“Last year, this was a big time for me, going with the second team, getting all those reps,” Vizzina said following Wednesday’s practice. “But now this year, they’ve let Cade step off to the side. Because he had a great year, so they’ve let me get some reps first team this year, and that’s been very beneficial. Different things, different speeds – I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better because of that. And just very grateful for that, too. Coach Swinney let me know that before spring started, so I feel like I’ve taken big steps because of that.”

Vizzina recalled how last season, he had to come in for Klubnik when he got knocked out for a play against Florida State in Tallahassee in early October.

Vizzina, then a redshirt freshman in his first year as Clemson’s second-string quarterback, remembers how his teammates had confidence in him and the coaching staff trusted him by giving him the chance to let it rip and launch a deep pass.

Vizzina was prepared when his number got called against the Seminoles, and he was ready again this spring when Swinney randomly put him in during Clemson’s first scrimmage.

Vizzina passed for a touchdown on that play, and saw his confidence grow as a result.

“Just going into it, Coach Swinney told me a couple times he would throw me in there at some random points,” Vizzina said. “In the first scrimmage, he just threw me in there on a random play, and I threw a touchdown. It was a great play, great designed play, and that kind of boosted my confidence with that because I just stepped in there, I was ready, paying attention. So, that was a testament to a lot of hard work, being ready, but also just being able to communicate with the first team.

“Going in the Florida State game, Cade got knocked out for one play and I went in, and to me, it meant a lot because I looked around and nobody was freaking out. I could tell everyone was trusting me. And we took a deep shot on that play, so that was pretty fun, too. But just to see everyone that day believe in me and then now fast forward to spring, getting those real reps, it’s been really good.”

In this era of NIL and the transfer portal, it’s not often you see a college quarterback willing to sit behind a starter for three years. That’s what Vizzina is doing. Add in that he was a highly touted quarterback prospect coming out of high school, and it’s even rarer that we see a quarterback willing to do what Vizzina is doing.

So why was he OK with redshirting in his first year with the Tigers and then serving as Klubnik’s backup for multiple seasons?

“Definitely a different scenario than a lot of quarterbacks would probably accept,” Vizzina said. “But for me, I knew coming out of high school, I was either going to be ready or I was going to need to develop, and I was with that plan 100 percent. I talked through it with my parents and my high school coaches, and coming out of high school, I just felt like that was a good plan for me.

“And then that first year, I was able to sit there with Coach Swinney every practice and go through it with him, so I could see that plan kind of playing out. And now the next year, I got more reps and just continued to see myself developing because of that extra year. I think I’ll look back and think about that as being one of my biggest years for my development.”

All along, the former blue-chip recruit from Alabama has trusted the coaching staff’s plan for his development.

“It really just comes down to Coach Swinney, me trusting in him and just the plan that we had,” he said. “The plan we talked about when I was recruited, to me, it sounded great. I was either going to come in and be ready, or I was going to need to develop. I needed to develop, and this is what happened and I’m grateful for it. I don’t ever think twice about it.”

Seeing limited action last season, Vizzina appeared in seven games, completing 19-of-34 pass attempts for 190 yards. He also rushed for 68 yards, including his first career touchdown run that came on a fourth-down play in the blowout win over App State last September.

While Vizzina lacks game experience, the talent is there for the former five-star and top-50 national prospect who passed for more than 7,000 yards and had 59 touchdown passes in his prep career at Birmingham’s Briarwood Christian School.

Vizzina made a jump in his development last year, and the Tigers are looking for him to take another big leap in 2025.

Vizzina feels he has grown a lot as a quarterback, particularly in the mental side of the game.

“Like I said, my first year was really all mental reps. I felt like I got better, and then the second year I was able to apply that, and now I’m doing that with the first and second team. I’m applying it now,” he said. “But the mental side has always been big for me, and the coaches – Tajh Boyd, Cole Stoudt, Paul Tyson, Coach (Garrett) Riley and Coach Swinney – they’ve all been helping me do it, and so I really appreciate them for helping me.”

Clemson fans will be able to see Vizzina in action this Saturday, as the Tigers host their annual Orange vs. White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium, which is set to kick off at 1 p.m.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder is ready to take the field and showcase the work he’s put in.

“I’m just going to go out there and play. I’m not going to change anything,” he said. “I think this has been another good spring. … I’m not going to change anything this Saturday, but just go have fun and display what we’ve been working on.”