Tait Reynolds has won his first two starts for Clemson, but ESPN’s latest quarterback ranking shows just how much room the freshman still has to grow.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked all 68 Power 4 quarterbacks after the first month of the season, placing Reynolds at No. 66. The Clemson freshman also sits 134th nationally in ESPN’s QBR entering Saturday night’s matchup with No. 4 Miami in Death Valley.
Reynolds began the year battling Christopher Vizzina and was listed as a co-starter by Week 2 against Georgia Southern. Vizzina’s injury helped open the door, but Dabo Swinney later made clear Clemson had seen enough from Reynolds to hand him the job.
The results have been mixed. The Tigers are 2-0 with Reynolds starting, including a late comeback against
North Carolina, but his overall numbers remain modest. He is averaging 9.9 yards per completion and 5.3 yards per dropback while taking too many sacks.
That makes Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. matchup on ABC a major measuring stick.
Reynolds will be on the same field as the quarterback Connelly ranked No. 1 in the Power 4, Miami’s Darian Mensah. Mensah leads power-conference quarterbacks in completion percentage at 88.7%, touchdown passes with 14, yards per dropback at 11.0 and passing success rate at 68.7%.
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“When you’re No. 1 in that many key categories, you’re No. 1 on this list,” Connelly wrote.
Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer, another quarterback remaining on Clemson’s schedule, checked in at No. 25. Syracuse’s Steve Angeli landed at No. 68.
For Reynolds, though, the immediate challenge is clear. One of ESPN’s lowest-ranked Power 4 quarterbacks now gets a prime-time opportunity against the player sitting at the very top.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Where Clemson’s freshman starter lands in ESPN’s Power 4 QB rankings
