Cade Klubnik won’t play today. Meet Clemson’s new starting quarterback vs. SMU
Clemson will be down its starting quarterback for at least one game.
Cade Klubnik (ankle) did not dress for pregame warmups and will not play in Saturday’s home game vs. SMU. Klubnik had previously been listed as a “game-time decision” on the team’s pregame ACC availability report.
That means backup QB Christopher Vizzina will get his first career start.
Klubnik, who rolled his ankle during last week’s win at Boston College, will snap a streak of 34 consecutive starts for Clemson dating back to 2022. It’s also the first time a Clemson QB has missed a start because of an injury since 2014.
Klubnik was spotted pregame with a heavily wrapped right ankle. He also wore a brace on his right ankle and moved slowly with a noticeable limp during the team’s pregame Tiger Walk and in limited warmup throws.
Here’s what to know about Vizzina, Clemson’s new quarterback vs. SMU.
Christopher Vizzina’s background, history at Clemson
Vizzina, a redshirt sophomore, is in his third season as Klubnik’s primary backup. He signed with Clemson as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 and ranked as the No. 6 QB and No. 75 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite.
Vizzina is from Birmingham, Alabama and played at Briarwood Christian School. He’s drawn praise throughout his Tigers career for his decision to stay at Clemson and develop instead of transferring somewhere else where he could be a starter.
But Vizzina (6-4, 210) has been up and down when he’s seen the field.
Entering Saturday, he has played just 137 career snaps for Clemson. The majority of Vizzina’s playing time has come in garbage time with Clemson up big against FCS or Group of Five teams. In 2025, he’s played 43 snaps so far.
Vizzina played 24 snaps against UNC two weeks ago (his first time truly playing with Clemson’s first-team offense) and 18 snaps against Boston College after Klubnik was injured. Both appearances came during blowout wins.
He didn’t do much with either opportunity. Vizzina was 6-11 for 39 yards against UNC and led one second-half scoring drive (a field goal). He threw an interception on fourth and goal on his first pass attempt vs. BC and finished that game 1-3 for -2 yards and interception, while rushing four times for 19 yards.
Vizzina’s performance vs. SMU and in other games this season could go a long way in determining how actively Clemson seeks a transfer portal quarterback in the offseason. Klubnik, a senior, is out of eligibility after the 2025 season.
Outside of Vizzina, Clemson has three other scholarship QBs on its roster: redshirt junior Trent Pearman, true freshman Chris Denson and sixth-year Hunter Helms, who is serving as a player-coach but has maintained his eligibility as an emergency option (and started five games for FCS Rhode Island in 2024).
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 12:41 PM.
