After a roller-coaster 2021 season in what was his first year as the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers, D.J. Uiagalelei still has the backing of head coach Dabo Swinney heading into the 2022 campaign.
Clemson entered the 2021 campaign as a serious contender to not only win the ACC but also to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. In the end, the Tigers failed to reach both of these feats, as sophomore quarterback Uiagalelei had his fair share of struggles over the course of the season. From the mere 2,246 passing yards tallied in 13 games played to the fact that he recorded more interceptions (10) than passing touchdowns (nine), he fell short of meeting the high expectations that were placed on him ahead of the season.
Months removed from the conclusion of Clemson’s season, Swinney looks back at Uiagalelei’s debut campaign as the starting quarterback for the Tigers as one filled with plenty of learning lessons across the board, which he touched on at the team's spring practice.
“D.J. looks great,” Swinney said. “First of all, so proud of how he finished, so proud of how he led. He'd be the first one to tell you he's got a lot he needs to go improve on and get better.
“I've never had a young quarterback that didn't make mistakes. … D.J.'s mistakes were magnified, we weren't near as good around him as we were those other two dudes [Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence]. I promise you, they made plenty of mistakes. … The positive of that of what D.J. went through last year is I think it accelerated all the other stuff that has to come with being a great quarterback: his mental toughness, his leadership, his grit, his thick skin.”
As it stands, Uiagalelei is set to have a pivotal 2022 campaign ahead, and Swinney sees that the best is still yet to come for the passer. However, the former College Football Playoff national championship-winning head coach well recognizes that there are multiple areas for improvement for Uiagalelei heading into his third season in the Clemson program.
“I think he's going to have an amazing year, I really do so, but the first thing is he's got to get better,” Swinney said. “I can criticize him on some things that he's got to do but we got to get better around him and we will.
“He needed to build on things from last year. I mean he took eight and a half sacks and the majority of those were the first part of the season. Holding the ball, not managing the pocket well. Some fundamentals, some technical things.”
Uiagalelei dealt with a knee injury over the season, although he did not go on to miss a single game in the campaign. Ahead of Clemson’s 2021 Cheez-It Bowl clash against Iowa State, he did note that “eventually in the offseason I'll get more healthier and get 100 percent.”
A crucial 2022 season is looming ahead for Uiagalelei, and he could end up facing competition from 2022 recruit and freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik. He took his opening snaps with Clemson on Wednesday during its spring practice. It remains to be seen on whether Swinney plans to roll out Uiagalelei as Clemson’s starting quarterback come the opening week of the 2022 season, or if Klubnik may get a chance to win the job in the coming months.
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