2026 4-star QB Tait Reynolds commits to Clemson: ‘They believe in me’

Queen Creek (Ariz.) four-star quarterback Tait Reynolds visited Clemson in early June as an Arizona State baseball commit. The Tigers caught his attention during the multi-day trip, as he worked out in Death Valley and met with head coach Dabo Swinney and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley, as well as Clemson head baseball coach Erik Bakich.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound signal-caller left the Tigers’ campus with a football offer and after a couple of days, realized that he wanted to spend his college career at Clemson. Reynolds followed up on that feeling by backing off his pledge to the Sun Devils on June 25 before committing to the Tigers on Tuesday.

“From the first moment I stepped on campus, I told my dad, ‘Man, this place is awesome,’” Reynolds told On3. “I worked with coach Riley and I hung out with coach Swinney. He had me in his office. I was the first 2026 quarterback that they offered, so that means a lot. I know they believe in me and it’s a place that I feel like I can be successful at.”

Reynolds felt like a priority to Clemson

Clemson first began communicating with Reynolds between six and seven months ago. Reynolds – who plays center fielder in baseball – remembers the Tigers being a “super special” program when he was growing up because they won multiple national championships during that time.

The No. 2 player in Arizona is confident that Clemson is still a school on the rise. Reynolds, the No. 16 quarterback in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking, is excited to pursue both sports at the ACC program thanks to the Tigers making him feel like a top priority.

“There was a lot of love there,” said Reynolds, the No. 243 overall prospect in the 2026 On300. “Everybody treated each other the same and was super nice and respectful. They treated me that way not just because I was a recruit and I was a guy that they wanted there. I could feel the love from all the coaches. It was definitely something different than most places.”

Reynolds is excited to play for Swinney and Riley

Swinney has developed successful college quarterbacks such as Trevor Lawrence, and Reynolds hopes to be the next one. He called Riley and Swinney before publicly announcing his commitment and both coaches were “super pumped up” about his decision.

Reynolds also got to speak with former Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who was visiting Swinney in Florida. The four-star is excited to play for Clemson’s head man in the coming years.

“He’s got a whole lot of energy,” Reynolds said. “He believes in his staff, he believes in his players and he believes in what he thinks. He doesn’t let anybody tell him anything different. He doesn’t use the transfer portal. He does it his way and he sticks with it.”

Reynolds is also looking forward to learning from Riley. The Tigers assistant came to Death Valley after helping TCU make the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

“I know he’s a winner,” Reynolds said. “There’s something different about him. He’s really calm and relaxed and he’s got confidence in himself. He’s a guy I can really trust and believe in. He’s super smart. I was working with him at a camp… He knows what he wants.”