Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei Betting On Himself, Ready to 'Roll Dice' Against Georgia Tech

DJ Uiagalelei, who struggled mightily at times a season ago, feels extremely good about the improvements he's made over the offseason, and as the Tigers get set to kick off the season against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Monday night, he is excited to finally put last year behind him.

DJ Uiagalelei is all in, and quite literally, as the junior quarterback is betting on himself in 2022.

Uiagalelei, who struggled mightily at times a season ago, feels extremely good about the improvements he's made over the offseason, and as the Tigers get set to kick off the season against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Monday night, he is excited to finally put last year behind him.

"It's been a long offseason of playing against the same opponent every single day in practice so I'm excited about a new opponent in Georgia Tech," Uiagalelei said. "Coming into the season, just excited for game one, just excited to go out there after all of the work I put in over the off-season, I'm just excited to go out there and display it."

During that long offseason, head coach Dabo Swinney asked his players to come up with one word to assess their feelings heading into the season. Uiagalelei was never able to come up with just a single word and instead went with a saying.

"I just kinda came up with a saying to myself, instead of like one word, kind of a saying coming into the season, and that saying is just 'roll the dice,'" he said.

When asked to elaborate, Uiagalelei made it clear that he was betting all the marbles on himself.

"For me, it's kind of like the sense of like, just taking chances on yourself," Uiagalelei said. "No matter what people say, I'm gonna roll the dice. No matter what, I'm always gonna bet on myself."

Last season, the quarterback known for his big arm threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9), completed just 56% of his passes and finished 13th in the ACC in QBR.

Uiagalelei spent the offseason determined to improve, both physically and mentally, and enters this season having dropped upwards of 30 pounds. However, the quarterback said the differences don't stop there, as Uiagalelei is confident he is not the same quarterback that fans saw a season ago.

"I think I see a totally different guy, I think I've gotten a lot better than the last game against Georgia Tech," Uiagalelei said. "Someone that's gone through it, and someone's just gotten a lot better throughout the offseason, through all the hard work. I definitely see a different quarterback."

Uiagalelei is convinced that the entire team is in a better spot than it was entering the season in 2021. He credits where the Tigers are from a maturity standpoint as one of the biggest difference makers, insisting that he and the rest of his teammates are in a better place as they get ready to go on the road and face the Yellow Jackets.

"I thought we were in a really good place from a year ago," Uiagalelei said. "But then I look back now and it's a totally different thing. Like wow, I thought last year was good, and we were in a good spot mentally, physically, but I think this year it's in a totally upward direction and where it's even better from last year.

"I think that a lot comes to the maturity of the team, offense, even defense as well. I think there's a different level of maturity on the team. And a different level of just knowing that each and every day counts and how much each and every day matters. This lift matters and this one matters, this conditioning this spring, it just matters. Each and every day matters coming into the first game."

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