CLEMSON — Following Saturday’s Orange & White Game, there were some of you who do not think Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is giving reserve quarterback Chris Denson a fair shake in the quarterback competition.

Swinney said after Saturday’s spring game that Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds have made the race to be Clemson’s new starting quarterback a two-man race. He even said it was not close.

Clemson’s head coach then went on to say Denson has got a decision to make, does he still want to be a quarterback or does he like his chances playing another position.

“He is physically as gifted as anybody we got, but just not where he needs to be from a passing game standpoint to compete like he needs to,” Swinney said. “If he stays at quarterback, because I think he is a guy that has a decision to make, he will play for us. He will have a role. He is too talented. We will definitely have a role for him, but he will help our football team no matter what.

“Coming out of spring that is where we are. You have to make tough decisions.”

Tough decisions indeed.

I think it was a fair comment from a guy who has watched all 15 of Clemson practices this spring. I am sure offensive coordinator Chad Morris feels the same way.

Swinney also has all of last year’s practices to play off of as well.

It’s safe to say Swinney knows a little bit more about what a starting quarterback should look like than some “Johnny Johnson” on X.

Some of the comments on social media were crazy after Swinney’s comments were made public.

There were some who thought it was unfair for Swinney and Morris to wait until the third quarter of the spring game to play Denson. Others felt Denson should have gotten the opportunity to play with the starters on the Orange team.

Others felt Swinney and Morris did not know what they were doing, while using what Denson did in last year’s Furman game as an example of why they are right and the coaches are wrong.

But here is the rub. Those fans have no idea what they are talking about.

Swinney and Morris will forget more football than they will ever know. It is that simple.

Clemson quarterback Chris Denson (15) throw a pass during Clemson’s annual Orange & White Spring Game on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Denson finished the afternoon 2-for-5 for 3 yards, while running just once for minus-8 yards. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)

Denson, at this moment, is not a quarterback at this level. He has had an entire year, which has included two springs and one full season to prove otherwise.

It does not mean he is not a good football player or isn’t an athlete. It means he just does not have what it takes to play quarterback at this level.

“He is just limited in the pass game right now from where he is from developmentally. He will keep getting better, but we play in five months and we have to keep moving. We have to put the team in position to win,” Swinney said.

This was a decision that was not made the day before the spring game. Swinney said the coaching staff decided before the team came back from spring break that they were going to move Reynolds to second team because he was that much better than Denson, Trent Pearman and Brock Bradley.

In the spring game, it was obvious where Denson fell in the order of things. He was brought in last. Four guys made an appearance in the spring game before he did.

If that is not a sign as to what the coaches were thinking, I do not know what is.

I get that fans are having a hard time trusting Swinney at the moment, especially after last year’s 7-6 season when so many star players returned from a College Football Playoff team in 2024.

How much of that was on Swinney, though?

I get it, he is the head coach. He has to take the blame, and to his credit, he does. But that does not mean he has no idea what he is doing.

And, when it comes to making tough decisions, I am going to listen to a two-time national champion head coach before some random guy on social media.