D.J. Uiagalelei’s time at Clemson is apparently coming to an end.
Uiagalelei was benched at times while struggling this season, but he always ended up regaining the starting quarterback job with the Tigers. That is no longer the case.
Cade Klubnik took over for Clemson on the team’s third possession of the ACC Championship Game against North Carolina on Saturday and did not look back. He led the team on three straight touchdown drives and ended up helping the team to a dominant 39-10 win.
After the game, Dabo Swinney said that Klubnik would be the team’s starting quarterback moving forward. That announcement sealed Uiagalelei’s fate.
247 Sports reported on Sunday that Uiagalelei is expected to enter the transfer portal.
DJ’s father was already seemingly saying his goodbyes on Twitter Sunday n ight.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 same to you‼️ https://t.co/oWs0xsQBsw pic.twitter.com/l0hefMBTP5
— Big Dave Uiagalelei (@DUiagalelei) December 5, 2022
DJ was a 5-star recruit when he joined Clemson. He has shown promise as a dual-threat quarterback at times, but he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. His struggles have capped Clemson’s potential the last two seasons. He was so bad in a few games this season that the Tigers had to bench him.
Uiagalelei is a junior but has two seasons of eligibility left since one of his three playing years came in 2020. His is from Southern California, so it’s possible that he will want to return closer to home if he transfers. Another interesting wrinkle is that DJ’s brother, Matayo, is a 5-star recruit from the 2023 class. Could the two become a package deal for a new school? Some possible programs to watch out for with DJ include Oregon and UCLA.
