ESPN recently published a college football quarterback confidential (subscription required), with opposing coaches breaking down more than three dozen signal-callers around the country.
Here’s what an opposing ACC coach had to say about Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei in the aforementioned article authored by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg:
An ACC coach said Uiagalelei likely was “humbled” last season, noting the “unrealistic expectations” placed on him.
“He’s a big, strong runner, but wasn’t really like [Louisville’s Malik Cunningham], who can make anybody miss at any time, so I don’t know if the weight loss will help him with his agility,” the coach said. “But any time your quarterback has a year under his belt, he’s going to be better.”
Uiagalelei’s struggles during his first season as Trevor Lawrence’s successor have been well-documented, but the junior quarterback worked on improving his physique and mechanics this offseason after completing just 55.6 percent of his passes last fall with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (nine).
Uiagalelei has dropped roughly 30 pounds after he said he played around 260 pounds a season ago, and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter said he’s seen better accuracy from the strong-armed quarterback so far in camp.
