Christopher Vizzina is just fresh off a landmark moment on the field as he scored the first college TD as a tiger in the last game against Appalachian State. The Birmingham native was seemingly lurking off the field to get a chance to show the world what a Viking he is. He did the same, sprinting through the left side and returning to the end-zone for an eye-candy touchdown, marking his first real action in the fourth quarter.

The 19-year-old stormed through the field with his Heisman energy on when Riley and Swinney edicted him to put a bang on. However, when the nation starts to believe that the 19-year-old will produce many more marquee things for Clemson, there will be genuine curiosity about his background. Let us introduce you to his dad, Christopher Vizzina Jr., and mom, Carolyn.

Meet Christopher Vizzina’s parents who channel their quiescent dreams through their son 

The 2005-born has had an innate knack for various sports since his toddler days. Growing up in the colony of Birmingham, where every other man was either a football or basketball fanatic, it was no surprise for Vizzina to have an utter fascination with generic sports. This only gets deeper as his parents, Christopher Vizzina Jr and Carolyn, both had an unfulfilled dream to chase a career in athletics in their teenage. His father could only manage to channel his connection as a head chef of the Samford University football team. So, passing that unresolved zeal to his offspring was quite an inevitable reality. That said, it was totally out of the calculation of the Vizzinas that Christopher would be in the centerstage of Clemson’s offensive line one fine day. But faith and hard work do wonders.

You might get bored of lionizing the narratives where prolific footballers’ parents cheer for them when no one does. For the Redshirt freshman quarterback of the Tigers, the story is the same, but it probably has a bit more emotion wrapped around it. Even if the young prodigy couldn’t be the manifestation of his parents’ untouched dream in front of a psyched-up crowd at Memorable Stadium last week, his parents would keep patting his head for a better tomorrow.

Father Christopher Vizzina Jr’s unwavering support made the journey easier for the Clemson QB

”Man, I’ve never not believed in him. And neither has his mom,’‘ said Vizzina Jr., who actually took him to meet a legendary coach in his rookie days, fueling the spark to join the forces of the men of helmets one day.

Vizzina’s biggest cheerleader, his dad, used to take him to watch the Friday Night Lights every week. In a watershed event, his dad introduced him to a trainer from the Birmingham-based QB Country. In Albert J.H. Sloan Stadium, a college coach from Georgia Tech’s presence and activities sparked the inquisitive mind of a kid to the core. The unknown sense of standing on the verge of something great made sense a few months later. 

When Vizzina was in Briarwood Christian’s middle school football team as a receiver, he abruptly bagged an offer from the Alabama Birmingham team during a summer camp. The upperclassman QB in front of him got injured, and suddenly, he got called to action as a varsity starter at 14 years old. The rest is only history.

The path onward is broader for the Clemson talent with his parents by his side, but the only regret, perhaps, that made the standout QB breathe heavily is that his grandpa will no longer be there making Christmas scrapbooks for him.

If you want to know about other nitty-gritty of college football, you can refer to our ES Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders, founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment.