Uiagalelei's Passion For Being Great Makes Coaching Fun for Swinney

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said the sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei's passion and self awareness makes it fun to come to work every day.

Analysts and fans alike have raved about the potential of D.J. Uiagalelei long before he stepped foot on campus at Clemson. 

The sophomore quarterback had offers from every major university across the country, meaning he could have went anywhere he wanted. Instead of choosing a school that could offer immediate playing time, Uiagalelei chose to go to Clemson, and sit and learn for a year behind the incumbent Trevor Lawrence.

It's that kind of attitude and self awareness the head coach Dabo Swinney maintains, in part, will make Uiagalelei successful as the Tigers' starting quarterback over the next couple of years.

"He's doing great. I mean he's just, I just like his demeanor," Swinney said. "He makes a bad play here or there, but he immediately knows, you know, his mistakes, and that's what I love about it, very self aware. It's very, very important to D.J. He's incredibly competitive and, you know, he's just gonna get better and better and better." 

Fans got a glimpse of just how high Uiagalelei's ceiling could be when he filled in twice for an unavailable Lawrence last season. In the first game, his first career start, the true freshman helped lead Clemson back from an 18-point deficit against Boston College in a 34-28 Tigers win.

The next week he made his first career road start in South Bend and threw for 439-yards in a double-overtime loss to Notre Dame. It was the first time the Irish have ever given up that many passing yards in their storied history.

However, it's what he is doing when the lights are off and no one is watching that Swinney said will make Uiagalelei great. Maybe even one of the greatest ever.

"I mean, and that's what I love, because I know he's gonna put the work in for practice, during practice, and then when he's away and nobody's watching," Swinney said. "I know that he's working and thinking about how he can be the best quarterback here at Clemson and compete to be the best out there. He's passionate about this opportunity that he has in life and just fun to come to work with every day."