Coaches adamant that DJ Uiagalelei is Clemson's starter

DJ Uiagalelei was pulled after his third turnover, which came in the third quarter.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Oct 22 18:38:17 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – The Clemson coaching staff was adamant postgame Saturday that there is no quarterback controversy in Tigertown.

Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik came off the bench in the third quarter with the Tigers trailing 21-10 and led three scoring drives on the way to a 27-21 victory over Syracuse. Klubnik replaced starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei on Clemson’s fourth possession of the third quarter and finished 2-of-4 passing for 19 yards, with six carries for 15 yards.

Uiagalelei went 13-of-21 passing for 138 yards and threw two interceptions, while also losing a fumble that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown.

Following the second interception, head coach Dabo Swinney walked over to Klubnik and told him to get ready. And while Swinney loves what Klubnik brings to the table, he also said that there is no question about who is the starter.

“Sometimes Steph Curry goes 2-for-25. Your best players sometimes can have a bad day,” Swinney said. “He just got out of rhythm and made some bad plays, and we just needed a change. … DJ’s our quarterback. There ain’t no question about that. That’s our guy. That’s our leader. You can write that right now. DJ’s our guy. Now, he’s got to play better, and he will. But how about Cade Klubnik coming in and leading these guys.”

Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter made sure everyone heard what he had to say in postgame interviews when he was asked if there was a quarterback controversy in Clemson.

“Absolutely not. One thousand percent not. DJ is no question our quarterback. There is no question about it,” Streeter said. “Coach addressed the team about it. It's like anything else, a guy goes out there and is not having a great day. I am just glad we have guys that can come in there and we don't skip a beat or we find a way to spark the team. First thing that DJ said after the game is, 'Coach, all I want to do is win. It doesn't matter. I am just so fired up about us winning.' And that is who he is. He is going to be fine. No problem right there. No controversy at all.”

Swinney echoed those comments.

"DJ's our starter. DJ's our leader. He just had one of those days, just missed a few plays,” Swinney said. “But he's earned that. I'll go to battle with that guy any day. He's obviously got to clean it up a little bit on some of the things he did today, but he will. He will."

Uiagalelei said he was appreciative of Klubnik and the coaches having his back.

“I thought he (Klubnik) came in and did a great job,” Uiagalelei said. “I am thankful for him, and for the coaches. That means a lot when you know people support you like that. But all I want to do is win. That’s all I care about.”