Streeter says DJ Uiagalelei has earned job, but Cade Klubnik has earned right to play

Cade Klubnik led a late TD drive to show off what he’s shown the coaches in camp:

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Sep 06 01:34:31 GMT-04:00 2022

ATLANTA, GA – Brandon Streeter didn’t mince words when he was asked about Clemson’s quarterback situation, stating unequivocally that DJ Uiagalelei is the starter.

No. 4 Clemson defeated Georgia Tech 41-10 Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The offense benefitted from two blocked punts but also scored 27 points in the second half as the Tigers walked away from the season and ACC opener with a 31-point win.

Uiagalelei was 19-for-32 for 209 yards and a touchdown and set aside some early struggles to finish with a decent night. Backup Cade Klubnik came in late in the game and sparked a touchdown drive that ended with his three-yard touchdown pass to Will Taylor. Klubnik was 4-for-6 for 50 yards in his lone drive.

Despite playing with a bevy of backups, the Klubnik-led drive was crisp and Streeter said it was good to see the freshman gain experience.

“It was great to get Cade out there. I was hoping to get him out there at some point for sure,” Streeter said. “That's what I told him. We definitely wanted to get him out there to get some experience because he's done nothing but improved. And it didn't surprise me one bit when he went in there and we didn't skip a beat at all. He did some good things. He was very accurate, made some big plays, and that's what you want in a guy that can come from high school and be in a first game of the season and just be able to make those plays. So excited about that. That's going to boost his confidence.

“I was very proud of Cade coming in cold off the bench and executing, doing a really good job of that. And so it was kind of exactly what we wanted. We wanted to be able to play DJ a good bit and go through that first couple of quarters. I think DJ really can build from some confidence right there. There's no doubt that Cade is going to continue to improve and so will DJ.”

I asked Streeter the status of his quarterbacks room heading into this week’s game against Furman.

“DJ is our starting quarterback, if that's what you're asking. He's going to start at quarterback,” Streeter said. “And Cade’s going to play. It's fun to watch both of those guys compete and get better.”

What keeps Uiagalelei at the top of the depth chart? Streeter said the California native has earned that right.

“DJ has been an unbelievable leader on his team. He's done a great job of earning the right to be the starter,” Streeter said. “The way he practices, the way he carries himself, the way he got through this and just finds a way. So I think it's very important to understand that. And our program is built around earning. There is no question in my mind that DJ has earned the right to be the guy.”