Up until two months before National Early Signing Day, Clemson had secured their quarterback. After initially targeting Brady Hart, who committed elsewhere, the Tigers shifted their focus to Blake Hebert, who committed in the summer of 2023, becoming the first verbal commitment for the 2025 class. However, in October 2024, Notre Dame’s quarterback decommitted and pledged to Auburn, leaving a gap in their incoming class. Shortly after, Hebert flipped his commitment from Clemson to Notre Dame. Clemson fans spent over a month speculating about how the team would address the void in their recruiting class. Would they look to the transfer portal? Find an uncommitted player? Or attempt to flip another recruit? They opted for the latter. On November 26, 2024, Chris Denson, a quarterback from Plant City, Florida, announced his commitment to Clemson, flipping from Coastal Carolina just eight days before National Early Signing Day. Denson, a 3-star prospect who had been overlooked by many recruiting services, showed promise on tape, making it clear that Clemson landed a valuable prospect with significant potential.
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The final rankings for quarterbacks were released by On3, with Chris Denson securing the No. 18 spot in the 2025 class. Denson, who had largely flown under the radar for most of the recruiting cycle, experienced a significant rise in the rankings. When discussing Denson’s film, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said, “I watched it 10 times and I was like ‘What am I missing?’ This guy should be recruited by everybody.” This statement reflects not only the coaching staff’s high regard for Denson but also the excitement shared by a large portion of the fanbase. Despite being considered slightly undersized, Denson’s attributes are seen as fixable, and his skills as a dual-threat quarterback—particularly his strong deep ball and ability to scramble—stand out. Originally, Clemson had two other quarterback targets: Brady Hart (ranked No. 19, committed to Texas A&M) and Blake Hebert (ranked No. 37, committed to Notre Dame). While Denson wasn’t initially on Clemson’s radar, he has turned out to be a major steal for the Tigers.
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