I'll be surprised if DJ is back next year

Dec 2, 2022, 4:13 PM

Regardless of how this season turns out.

* He's not been able to live up to expectations here. No, not our expectations (though that's very true) but his own expectations. As much as we had expectations for him, I'm sure his were just as high, if not higher, for himself. Those expectations just haven't materialized.

* If he comes back, he risks being benched in favor of the jr quarterback from Texas. And that writing may well be on the wall. It'll be much easier for him to be happy for Cade if DJ is elsewhere and otherwise unaffected.

* He can start with a somewhat clean slate and lower expectations at another school

* People expect he'd want to be at another P5 school. I'd be surprised if he did that. He doesn't seem like he can sufficiently handle all the expectations and stress involved in a CFP-caliber program. Get him at a smaller school with lower expectations, and one with an offense more suited to his playing style, and he could go out as a starter and not as QB2

* All his family is on the other coast. He may have grown quite homesick with all of this. Had things gone as expected when he committed, he wouldn't be in as much need of support. But with the way things have gone, sometimes you just need your blood-family around more than your football family can accommodate for.

* He's had 3 full seasons here, and likely has not accomplished any of his goals. He's put in the work. There's no doubt about that. I truly believe he's put everything he has into this program, but I also believe he has less and less available each week. If a win pumps him up by 1, then a loss brings him down by 5, or even 10. It's hard to make up that ground, especially under the microscope he's under. He'll be graduating in December. I think it would be fair to say that it was time to move on.

* I don't think NIL has much, if anything, to do with it. He's probably done very well with his NIL deals from his time here. He could get others elsewhere that, while maybe not as lucrative, would still be plenty sufficient for a 22 year old to work with.

Whatever he decides, I hope the Clemson family will be supportive and appreciative of him. His tenure as starter certainly hasn't turned out how anyone - us, coaches, or him - have expected. But one thing is without doubt - this kid has shown class and character every step of the way and with every up and down, he has not quit, he has continued to work hard and be a leader on the team. We may have given up on him, but I'm 100% certain he hasn't given up on the team. I truly believe he's given 100% of himself to Clemson football and I hope we can all be appreciative of that when the time comes for him to move on.

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