Clemson football moves QB to new role on offense. What we know
.jpg "Clemson quarterback Chris Denson (15) during 2026 spring practice")
A Clemson quarterback and fan favorite is changing positions.
Tigers quarterback Chris Denson is moving to a wide receiver-running back hybrid role for the 2026 season, offensive coordinator Chad Morris said Tuesday.
Denson is still listed as a quarterback on Clemson’s online roster and will still take some QB reps during practice, Morris said. But if he sees the field for the Tigers in 2026, it’ll likely be at another position than the one he was recruited at.
“We’re trying to find a spot for him,” Morris told reporters Tuesday at Clemson’s on-campus media day.
Denson’s move to a hybrid position shows Clemson is comfortable moving forward with true freshman Tait Reynolds as its No. 2 quarterback behind Christopher Vizzina, who will be Clemson’s starting quarterback as it opens 2026 fall camp next month (but hasn’t explicitly been declared the Week 1 starter).
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hinted after the team’s 2026 spring game that Denson could change positions after Vizzina and Reynolds clearly separated as the Tigers’ top two QB options to succeed Cade Klubnik.
“I don’t know that he’s made a full decision,” Swinney said of Denson on Tuesday. “He’s worked some receiver. He’s worked a little running back. ... We’ll figure it out.”
Chris Denson’s Clemson career, stats
Denson, a redshirt freshman and left-handed QB listed at 6-2 and 195 pounds, was a late add to Dabo Swinney’s 2025 recruiting class out of Florida after flipping his commitment from Coastal Carolina to Clemson.
Although he was considered a bit of a project as a passer, Denson’s athleticism was apparent during his true freshman season with the Tigers.
He stole the show late in Clemson’s 2025 home finale vs. FCS Furman in November, going 4-4 for 22 yards and a touchdown and rushing seven times for 108 yards and another touchdown on the team’s last two drives of the game.
Denson became the first Clemson quarterback to record 100-plus rushing yards in a game since Trevor Lawrence in 2019, and his 17.7 yards per carry against the Furman were the highest by a Clemson QB with five-plus attempts since 1947.
Clemson also thought enough of Denson’s dual-threat ability to create a special offensive package for him leading into an October game vs. SMU that then-starting quarterback Klubnik missed with an ankle injury. (Denson took one snap in that game, carrying the ball once for 2 yards on a QB keeper.)
Vizzina, Reynolds ‘clearly’ ahead of Denson
Denson’s speed generated notable buzz among the Clemson fan base late in the year and had followers excited about his potential role on the 2026 team.
Denson spoke to the media March 9 and said everyone in Clemson’s quarterback room was “fighting for the starting job” under Morris, the Tigers’ new OC.
“I feel like I need to improve as a passer,” Denson said. “But I’ve been stacking day by day, getting there.”
After Clemson’s spring game, though, Swinney made it clear where Denson stood on the depth chart.
“CV’s No. 1, Tait’s No. 2 and it’s not close,” Swinney said March 28. “Those two guys separated, and that’s where we are.”
Denson likely would’ve been a candidate to transfer after spring practice, but the NCAA eliminated the spring transfer window for football ahead of the 2025 season.
Swinney said Tuesday that Denson and the staff will work together to find a good fit on the roster for him going forward and they still value his explosiveness.
“He’s open to figuring it out,” Swinney said. “We just haven’t been on the field with him to really, truly give any type of evaluation.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Clemson football moves QB to new role on offense. What we know."
