# Christopher Vizzina
**Christopher Vizzina** (born 2005) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback for the [Clemson Tigers](https://www.edgepedia.org/clemson-tigers), a [Birmingham, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham-alabama), native who was a top-50 national recruit in the class of 2023 and made his first collegiate start on October 18, 2025, against SMU.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) He spent his first three seasons at Clemson as the backup to Cade Klubnik before entering the 2026 season as the program's expected starter.[2](https://www.theclemsoninsider.com/2025/07/25/vizzina-embodies-clemsons-culture/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2005, Birmingham, Alabama; name pronounced "VIZZ-ee-nuh"[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
| Physical | 6 feet 4, 210 pounds; wears No. 17[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
| Recruiting | Committed to Clemson on April 12, 2022; 247Sports composite ranked him the No. 6 quarterback and No. 39 overall prospect in the class of 2023[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) • [3](https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article270190832.html) |
| Prep career | 561-of-865 passing for 7,220 yards and 59 touchdowns, plus 29 rushing touchdowns, at Briarwood Christian School[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
| First start | October 18, 2025 vs. SMU: 29-of-42 for 317 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, 156.0 pass efficiency rating[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
| Career entering 2026 | 64-of-105 passing for 596 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, in 238 offensive snaps over 14 games (one start); 38 rushes for 109 yards and a touchdown[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
| Academic record | Three-time ACC Honor Roll selection (2023–25); marketing major[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) |
## High school career
Vizzina played at Briarwood Christian School in suburban [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham). He did not begin playing quarterback until his eighth-grade season, when an injury forced him into action on the junior-varsity squad; head coach Matthew Forester recalled that the staff saw a natural throwing motion and made him the program's quarterback of the future.[4](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/recruiting/) Another injury during his freshman season opened the starting job, and he held it for four years.[4](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/recruiting/)
**Production.** As a freshman in 2019 he completed 93-of-159 passes for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns in a 12-2 season. His junior year in 2021 was his statistical peak: 134-of-196 passing (68.4 percent) for 2,065 yards and 16 touchdowns against four interceptions, 600 rushing yards and 15 rushing scores, 2,665 yards of total offense in 11 games, and a 10-2 record with a trip to the state semifinals.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) As a senior he completed 161-of-251 passes (64.1 percent) for 1,828 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 341 yards and 11 scores, closing with 28-of-42 passing for 327 yards and three total touchdowns against Fairhope in his final high school game.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina)
## Recruiting
Vizzina rose from a single early offer from UAB to one of the most pursued quarterbacks in the 2023 class. Clemson was the first Power 5 program to recruit him seriously, starting during his freshman year under then-recruiter Todd Bates, with Brandon Streeter later taking over as his primary recruiter.[5](https://www.theclemsoninsider.com/2022/02/12/tour-of-champions-a-look-at-christopher-vizzina-and-his-journey-to-becoming-one-of-the-nations-top-qbs/) Offers arrived from hometown programs such as UAB and Samford and national powers including Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, and Auburn; he declined Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, and more than 20 other programs before committing to Clemson on April 12, 2022.[2](https://www.theclemsoninsider.com/2025/07/25/vizzina-embodies-clemsons-culture/)
**Ratings.** The recruiting services placed him in the national top 60 with different orders: PrepStar ranked him No. 31 overall, [Sports Illustrated](https://www.edgepedia.org/sports-illustrated)'s SI99 No. 35, ESPN No. 38 (seventh-best quarterback), 247Sports No. 54, and On3 No. 60.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) The 247Sports composite listed him as the [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) quarterback in the class, behind Arch Manning, Malachi Nelson, Nico Iamaleava, Jackson Arnold, and Dante Moore.[3](https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article270190832.html) Rivals' evaluator Charles Power wrote in July 2022 that Vizzina had the best feet and pocket movement among top 2023 quarterbacks and compared him to Mitch Trubisky; Vizzina finished as On3's No. 2 overall Top Performer at that summer's Elite 11 Finals.[6](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/reports/) He also competed in the Elite 11 camp, was invited to the All-American Bowl in [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio), and led the Alabama team to victory in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game with a late touchdown pass.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina)
## College career
**2023–2024: redshirt and backup duty.** Vizzina enrolled at Clemson in January 2023, played nine snaps while redshirting, and made his collegiate debut against Charleston Southern.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) In 2024 he completed 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards and rushed 13 times for 68 yards and a touchdown over seven games, including a debut against Appalachian State in which he threw for 78 yards and scored his first career rushing touchdown; he was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina)
**2025: the SMU start.** Vizzina appeared in five games in 2025, finishing with 45-of-71 passing for 406 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) When Klubnik was injured, Vizzina came in cold at [Boston College](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-college) on October 11 and made his first career start the following Saturday against SMU while Klubnik recovered from an ankle injury.[7](https://clemsonsportsmedia.com/2026/06/08/christopher-vizzina-tait-reynolds-qb-battle/) • [8](https://data.clemsontigers.com/pdf/football/2025-26/Notes/2025-13-PennState.pdf) In the 24-35 loss he completed 29-of-42 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, a 156.0 pass efficiency rating.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) • [9](https://www.statmuse.com/cfb/player/christopher-vizzina-72741/game-log?seasonYear=2025) In doing so he became the first Clemson quarterback with three or more touchdown throws in a starting debut since [Deshaun Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/deshaun-watson), who threw six touchdowns against North Carolina in the first start of his career in 2014, and the 317 yards he passed for ranked fifth among Clemson quarterbacks in a starting debut since 1953.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) He was also the 49th different player to start a game at quarterback since Clemson abandoned the single wing in 1953.[10](https://data.clemsontigers.com/pdf/football/2025-26/Notes/2025-12-SouthCarolina.pdf)
**2026: starter and injury.** Vizzina entered the 2026 season with the starting job, with head coach [Dabo Swinney](https://www.edgepedia.org/dabo-swinney) saying publicly the job was his to lose, and started against No. 11 LSU, completing 10-of-16 passes for 83 yards and an interception.[7](https://clemsonsportsmedia.com/2026/06/08/christopher-vizzina-tait-reynolds-qb-battle/) • [1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) Against Georgia Southern on September 12, 2026, he completed 4-of-7 passes for 19 yards with a touchdown and an interception before Swinney announced at halftime that Vizzina had been sidelined after losing feeling in his non-throwing arm; freshman [Tait Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/tait-reynolds) replaced him.[1](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina) • [11](https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/09/13/clemson-qb-christopher-vizzina-sidelined-with-arm-injury-swinney-says/)
## Scouting profile
Rivals' reports emphasized his movement skills and arm. Charles Power described a quarterback with translatable tools, twitchy and explosive lower-body movement, strong pocket awareness, and a consistent arm slot, and wrote after the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game practices that his physical tools were apparent even while the Alabama offense struggled as a unit.[6](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/reports/) A film analysis published during his recruitment highlighted his frame and deep-ball touch while noting a longer release that he could speed up when needed.[12](https://www.si.com/college/notredame/recruiting/notre-dame-football-recruiting-profile-qb-christopher-vizzina) Swinney's 2026 assessment to ESPN was that Vizzina "does everything well," calling him smart, a good passer, an excellent leader, and an athletic, big, strong player with natural pocket instincts.[13](https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-football/news/clemson-qb-featured-in-espn-insider-intel-report-49299)
## References
1. [Christopher Vizzina, Football 2025-26 Roster, Clemson University Athletics](https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/season/2025/player/christopher-vizzina)
2. [Vizzina Embodies Clemson's Culture, The Clemson Insider (July 25, 2025)](https://www.theclemsoninsider.com/2025/07/25/vizzina-embodies-clemsons-culture/)
3. [Clemson QB recruit Christopher Vizzina has NFL dreams, The State](https://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article270190832.html)
4. [Christopher Vizzina - Briarwood Christian - Quarterback, On3/Rivals recruiting profile](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/recruiting/)
5. [Tour of Champions: A look at Christopher Vizzina, The Clemson Insider (February 12, 2022)](https://www.theclemsoninsider.com/2022/02/12/tour-of-champions-a-look-at-christopher-vizzina-and-his-journey-to-becoming-one-of-the-nations-top-qbs/)
6. [Christopher Vizzina - Scouting Reports, On3/Rivals](https://www.on3.com/rivals/christopher-vizzina-23432/reports/)
7. [Christopher Vizzina Has the Pole Position. Tait Reynolds Is Not Going Away., Clemson Sports Media (June 8, 2026)](https://clemsonsportsmedia.com/2026/06/08/christopher-vizzina-tait-reynolds-qb-battle/)
8. [2025 Game Notes, Clemson Tigers (Penn State)](https://data.clemsontigers.com/pdf/football/2025-26/Notes/2025-13-PennState.pdf)
9. [Christopher Vizzina 2025 Game Log, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/cfb/player/christopher-vizzina-72741/game-log?seasonYear=2025)
10. [2025 Game Notes, Clemson Tigers (South Carolina)](https://data.clemsontigers.com/pdf/football/2025-26/Notes/2025-12-SouthCarolina.pdf)
11. [Clemson QB Christopher Vizzina sidelined with arm injury, Swinney says, FOX Carolina (September 12, 2026)](https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/09/13/clemson-qb-christopher-vizzina-sidelined-with-arm-injury-swinney-says/)
12. [Notre Dame Prospect Profile: QB Christopher Vizzina, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/notredame/recruiting/notre-dame-football-recruiting-profile-qb-christopher-vizzina)
13. [Clemson QB featured in ESPN insider intel report, TigerNet (August 10, 2026)](https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-football/news/clemson-qb-featured-in-espn-insider-intel-report-49299)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Quarterbacks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license