Tait Reynolds is 2-0 as Clemson's starting QB. What to know about freshman vs Miami

CLEMSON — Clemson football freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds will make his first big start for the Tigers when he faces No. 4 Miami .

Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC) plays Miami (4-0, 2-0) on Oct. 3 (7:30 p.m., ABC). Reynolds was named the Tigers' starter by coach Dabo Swinney on Sept. 13, and he'll start his third game after victories over North Carolina and California.

Reynolds has passed for 521 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He's completed 64.3% of his passes and has 83 rushing yards. Reynolds' quarterback rating of 29.0 is the lowest in the ACC.

Take a look at Reynolds' path from high school to now.

Tait Reynolds, Clemson football freshman quarterback for Dabo Swinney

Reynolds was born and raised in Queen Creek, Arizona, where he was the second-youngest of six children. He attended Queen Creek High School.

Reynolds has two older brothers who play college football: Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds and UT-Martin linebacker Porter Reynolds. He also has a younger sister, Emma, who plays high school softball and is committed to Oklahoma. Reynolds' father, Paul, was a linebacker at Arizona State from 1996-97.

Reynolds threw for 1,808 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 631 yards and 17 touchdowns as a high school sophomore in 2023. He threw for 2,238 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 1,426 yards and 19 touchdowns to earn first-team all-state honors and Arizona Player of the Year honors from the Arizona Cardinals as a junior in 2024. A hamstring injury kept Reynolds out for most of his senior season.

Reynolds also plays baseball as an outfielder and shortstop. He was named a 2025 Under Armour All-American and won an Arizona 6A baseball state title in 2024, hitting a walk-off single in the championship game .

Reynolds was a three-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, a 2025 Elite 11 finalist and ESPN's No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2026. He's also committed to the Tigers for baseball.

How Tait Reynolds became Clemson's starting quarterback

Reynolds played well in spring football and scored a rushing touchdown in Clemson's spring game. He also completed 7 of 10 passes for 74 yards. However, senior Christopher Vizzina was still Swinney's starter.

Reynolds closed the gap on Vizzina in fall practice. Swinney even said before the game against LSU on Sept. 5 that there was a time when he thought Reynolds would win the job, which is exactly what he did after two games.

Vizzina's struggles drove Swinney to name Reynolds the starter the day after he played the majority of Clemson's 22-7 win over Georgia Southern due to Vizzina's elbow injury. Reynolds finished 16-for-27 for 178 passing yards, added 38 rushing yards and lost a fumble.

Swinney said his decision to start Reynolds was performance-based.

"Based on opportunity and mistakes and just body of work ... Tait has earned the opportunity to start," Swinney said.

Reynolds then helped the Tigers rally from 17-3 down against North Carolina on Sept. 19 with three second-half touchdown drives, including two in the fourth quarter after a long weather delay, to help Clemson win 28-20. That prompted Swinney to say Reynolds would "absolutely" be the Tigers' starter .

Reynolds finished 20-of-29 for 215 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception against the Tar Heels.

"He's a competitor, and you saw it ... Some big-time plays in a big environment," Swinney said. "You're down 17-3, and everything's against you. To just have the toughness to keep believing, it's hard to coach that. It's hard to coach what he has."

What Tait Reynolds said before the Miami game

Reynolds said on Sept. 30 that games are slowing down for him the more he starts, and that they're beginning "to feel like practice more and more." He isn't feeling pressure to have his best game against Miami .

"I don't feel any pressure at all ... I'm not putting any pressure on myself," Reynolds said. "That's kind of something that's made up in my mind, and I'm not really worried about anything. Just trust the guys around me. Trust them to do their job. Try to do mine."

He's also trying not to make the moment too big.

"You just stay focused on the process," Reynolds said. "Whatever happens, the good or the bad, at the end of the day, I'm just a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I just try to be that all the time. My identity's not football. I think sometimes bad things happen; they're going to happen, and it just gives you a great opportunity to grow and learn and get better."

Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at ncoppola@usatodayco.com , follow him on X @Nick_Coppola__ and like his Facebook page at Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports.