DJ Uiagalelei's creativity and confidence earn him starting nod at QB

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney sees more creativity from DJ Uiagalelei this August.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Aug 18 13:32:25 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Two scrimmages are in the books and there are just a little over two weeks before the season opener against Georgia Tech. According to head coach Dabo Swinney, incumbent DJ Uiagalelei will get the start against the Yellow Jackets, but the coaches want to get backup Cade Klubnik playing time.

Uiagalelei struggled last season, completing 208-of-374 passes for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns over 862 snaps in 13 games (all starts), finishing the season as one of only four offensive or defensive players to start every game for Clemson. He also rushed 105 times for 308 yards with four touchdowns, and his 862 snaps were the most in a season by a Clemson quarterback since 2017 (Kelly Bryant, 886).

The Tigers held two scrimmages over the last week, including Wednesday, and Swinney said that Uiagalelei has held on to his job.

“DJ is the starter for sure. This is where we are,” Swinney said outside the visitors’ locker room in Memorial Stadium after the Tigers' second and final scrimmage of preseason camp. “Obviously, he has to go play well. Just like anybody else, you have to go play well. We certainly hope to get Cade as many opportunities as we can.”

That doesn’t mean that Klubnik, a former 5-star with a wealth of talent, won’t play. Swinney said the coaches want to get the Texas native playing time because Uiagalelei is set to graduate in December and has big dreams for his future.

“We wanted to get DJ in as often as we could during Trevor’s (Lawrence) last year,” Swinney said. “DJ is going to graduate in December. He has big goals and aspirations, and he knows what he has to do. He just has to go do it. Hopefully, we will be able to get Cade as many opportunities as we can, but DJ is the starter, and he has earned that; it is up to him to continue to earn it every week.”

Uiagalelei came into camp weighing a svelte 235 pounds, and his added mobility -- he played most of last season above 250 pounds -- has made a difference.

“DJ, I think, played pretty clean, procedurally. He was very clean with his decision-making,” Swinney said of the scrimmage performance. “He had one play that he would like to have back. But procedurally, and all of that, he made a couple of good plays with his legs. The biggest thing has been his creativity. He has made a lot of plays with his legs in camp. I have told him three or five times, ‘You would not have made that play last year.’ He is just moving so much better. He has lots of confidence. That is the No. 1 thing. He has really done a good job there.”

Klubnik continues to impress, but because the quarterbacks wear purple jerseys (they can’t be hit or tackled), he isn’t afraid to take off and run instead of just getting rid of the ball.

“I thought they both did some really good things, but they both missed a couple of plays, too,” Swinney said. “Cade had a really big play, but then took a sack. Again, that is the purple jersey syndrome. Once he gets lit a couple of times, he’ll get rid of it. He took a sack in the redzone. Had one bad decision he would like to have back.

“Cade is a problem in the pocket because he is really, really fast. It’s awesome because he can really create. It is good for Clemson, but it is also good for our defense to see some speed like that because he can really, really run. I thought he made a couple of nice plays with his legs today.”