In 2022, most people believed that the reason the Clemson Tigers had taken a step back was because of their quarterback situation.
Former 5-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei took over as the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers. He was expected to be the next great quarterback after Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.
DJ Uiagalelei at Clemson
In 2021, DJ got the nod as the guy as expected. However, the year didn’t finish the way they wanted. But, in 2022 the hot seat was placed under DJ Uiagalelei. They assumed Clemson was good and the system that coach Dabo Swinney had built was airtight.
The fans and the media ran DJ Uiagalelei off like they did former QB Kelly Bryant. Bryant was pushed out after the media and Dabo moved on to Trevor Lawrence. Granted, Trevor turned out to be as good as advertised.
Once Clemson brought in another 5-star quarterback Cade Klubnik, the Clemson faithful and mega media groups moved on from DJ.
Sadly, some in the media considered him to be a bust. DJ moved on to Oregon State while Clemson cheered for the new chapter with Klubnik. However, DJ threw for over 2,500 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions.
New Chapter in Corvallis
Although DJ had some great moments at Clemson, his new chapter with the Oregon State Beavers is a little tougher. Unlike his time at Clemson, DJ is having to learn an entirely new offense four years into his college football career.
The Beavers are also coming off of a 10-win season with high expectations. With DJ, the Beavers are expected to compete for a conference championship. The PAC-12 won’t be easy to beat and is much stronger than the ACC. If DJ can win the PAC-12 in his first year with the Beavers, his draft stock will rise up to maybe a 5th round grade.
Currently, DJ has thrown for 1,032 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions through 5 games. If you compare is numbers to last year after 5 games, DJ threw for 1,242 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only 1 interception.
This years class of quarterbacks might be the deepest in college football history.
