Swinney: Uiagalelei 'Understood' Clemson Moving on with Klubnik

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney calls DJ Uiagalelei a "special person" with a "bright future," but the junior quarterback will not start the bowl game as the Tigers have moved to freshman Cade Klubnik.

Brad Senkiw | Dec 4, 2022

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Despite winning the ACC Championship Game with freshman Cade Klubnik, Dabo Swinney didn't take solace in benching his veteran starter.

The Clemson head coach moved on from DJ Uigalelei two drives into the game Saturday night against North Carolina in Charlotte.

Swinney said after the game that Uiagalelei, who started 26 consecutive games for the Tigers, will not be the starter for the bowl game, but Swinney said the junior is dealing with as he has with everything in his career.

"DJ, he's a special person," Swinney said. "He handles everything the right way. He handles everything with class. He understood and knew. Streeter and I talked to both of them, as well."

Klubnik came into the game and threw for 279 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for a score and led the Tigers on four consecutive scoring drives in a 39-10 victory.

"Moving forward, Cade will be the starter going in and DJ will be the backup," Swinney said. "We'll keep moving forward, and I'm sure there will be plenty of conversations. (Uiagalelei) graduates in a week or so, so he's got a bright future."

It certainly sounds like Uiagalelei, who has two years of college eligibility left, has played his last snap for the Tigers.

"Obviously, it didn't end tonight the way he would like, but he's got a bright, bright future as a football player," Swinney said. "He's a guy that always have a special place in my heart because nobody has ever worked harder, nobody has ever been more respected in this program. These guys love DJ, and I do, too."

On the season, Uiagalelei completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,511 yards. He's tossed 27 touchdowns to seven interceptions and has rushed 142 times for 545 yards and seven more scores.

Uiagalelei has been much improved this season compared to last year when he was one of the lowest-rated QBs in the ACC, but his numbers have dropped in recent weeks and turnovers have gone up. The Tigers didn't have a turnover against UNC.

Uiagalelei was 2-of-5 passing for 10 yards and went three-and-out on his first two drives. A couple of his incompletions weren't close to the receiver, leading to a change on the third drive, and Clemson took off after that to rout the Tar Heels.

"We hoped that he'd play well, but he didn't have a great series, especially the first series there," Swinney said. "But we stuck with the plan, and then the rest is history. You've got to give credit to Cade for that. He kind of came in and took it, and it happened."

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