Could Clemson go two years without a QB signee? Dabo Swinney responds to Blake Hebert flip
CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney is still confident about his 2025 recruiting class despite losing four-star quarterback commit Blake Hebert seven weeks before early signing day.
Hebert flipped his commitment to Notre Dame on Monday after committing to Clemson in June 2023. The Tigers' 2025 class has no quarterbacks after not adding one in 2024, but there are two QB commits for 2026 class. Hebert was the third recruit to decommit from the Tigers 2025 class, joining four-star defensive linemen Bryce Davis and Isaiah Campbell.
Swinney says the team plans to add a quarterback in the 2025 cycle via a scholarship offer, walk-on or transfer.
"We'll definitely, probably, take a quarterback in the 2025 class of some sort," Swinney said. "Right now, we got (transfer) Paul Tyson as our fourth guy, so is it a Paul Tyson type of guy, or is it a high school kid? I don't know. We'll see how it all plays out."
Clemson's 2025 class has 13 recruits with nine four stars and four three stars and ranks No. 19 in the nation. Swinney said Clemson tries to add a quarterback in every cycle but didn't take one in 2024 because of the team's belief in Christopher Vizzina, a four-star recruit who redshirted last year and is Cade Klubnik's backup.
Swinney doesn't anticipate Klubnik, a junior, to forgo his senior season and enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Klubnik has 1,528 yards passing with 21 touchdowns (four rushing) and two interceptions through six games, but he isn't featured in many 2025 NFL draft quarterback rankings, including ESPN's latest quarterback hot board.
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Clemson's two quarterback commits in the 2026 cycle are four-star Tait Reynolds and three-star Brock Bradley.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football recruiting: Dabo Swinney reacts to Blake Hebert flip