Cade Klubnik's arrival has pushed DJ Uiagalelei to get better

The competition is making the Clemson QB group better.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jul 20 08:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – The arrival of freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik pushed starter DJ Uiagalelei to be better, and now Uiagalelei is in a great spot heading into fall camp.

In 13 games as a first-year starter during the Tigers' 2021 season, Uiagalelei went 208-of-374 passing (55.6%), with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ran 105 times for 308 yards (2.9 average) and four scores.

Quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter told the media Tuesday that Uiagalelei is finally healthy.

“He has really committed, No. 1, to getting his body in better shape and he has lost anywhere from 30 to 35 pounds,” Streeter said of Uiagalelei. “He is back healthy. He feels great. His knee is totally healthy. He’s moving around much better, which is giving him a lot more confidence each and every day. Mentally, he’s in a really good spot. He had a great spring. Really proud of where he is, battling through some of the stuff he went through last year and just overcoming that. That’s part of life, and he’s learning those lessons and he’s doing a great job right now.”

He has been pushed by Klubnik, the freshman out of Austin (TX) Westlake who arrived on campus as the top quarterback in the 2022 recruiting cycle.

“As a quarterback, when you come in in the spring — your first spring as a mid-year (enrollee), still supposed to be in high school — that’s a hard jump,” Streeter said of Klubnik. “There’s a lot to absorb. There’s a lot of new things going on. You’re trying to get acclimated to school, all those things. But we threw him in the fire quick. We wanted to get him as many reps as possible. Just so that he could gain that experience and really learn from his mistakes, and that’s what he did.

“He did a great job of once he made a mistake, just learn from it and not making the same mistake again. And so, he got better and better each and every day. Very talented player. Gonna be a very very good leader on our team. Already is a good leader on our team. The future’s bright for him for sure. And he’ll just continue to get better.”

Streeter said the arrivals of veteran Hunter Johnson and freshman Trent Pearman have added a sense of urgency to the entire quarterback room.

“Any time you have competition, you’re going to have more of a sense of urgency to get better,” Streeter said. “It started this spring. (Uiagalelei) had a really good spring. And he got better. That was very obvious to me. That helps when you have some guys that come in and push you. And so, there’s been some guys that have come into the program that have been able to do that, which has helped everybody. I’m just proud of where he is, as far as taking on that challenge. Not just learning from the mistakes he had last year, but building on some of the confidence that he had last year from overcoming some stuff. And then, also, competing each day … I feel really good where he is.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney said he was happy to see Uiagalelei healthy after battling finger, knee, and shoulder issues last season.

"He's out of the knee brace finally. Finger is healthy. He's become elite from a nutrition and body composition standpoint,” Swinney said. “He's done that at an unbelievable level. You look at him and you're like, 'Wow.' He's stronger, faster. Probably 30 pounds lighter. Mentally, he's just a different person than he was last year because of what he went through. He lost his confidence and didn't play as well as he needed to, but watching him go through that and never make an excuse, it fortified him as a leader. He's as respected a guy as we have on this team. Now he's just got to go do it."