Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney remained adamant in April that rising junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei remained the team’s starter, but one analyst believes that may not remain the case throughout the 2022 season.
Speaking on his show, Late Kick Live, 247Sports’ Josh Pate responded to a bold prediction that five-star freshman Cade Klubnik will start at least one game this upcoming season.
“I actually don’t think it’s that bold,” Pate said. “I think it’s a five [on the one to 10 bold scale] because I happen to believe this is going to go down. Now, it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom tells you a five-star quarterback with a year’s worth of starting experience under his belt is going to flourish in year two. That’s just what preview magazine, conventional wisdom tells you.”
“The second thing it does is it flies in the face of what Dabo Swinney, as head coach of Clemson, said in the spring. He was adamant that ‘we’re behind DJ (Uiagalelei). We have every bit of hope and confidence and trust that he’s going to develop into the quarterback that we need him to be.’ I’m a little less certain, but I also don’t think it gets real in anyone’s mind until you get into the season.”
In Clemson’s spring game in April, Uiagalelei finished with 175 passing yards and one interception on 47.2% passing. Meanwhile, Klubnik completed 65.2% of his passes for 106 yards and one touchdown.
With Klubnik’s impressive spring, Pate contended that if Clemson struggles within the first couple of games, Klubnik could be in line to start sooner rather than later.
The Tigers will play Georgia Tech in week one, and Pate believes fans will know after that matchup whether or not Uiagalelei and the offense have elevated beyond last year’s level.
“This year, you know in the back of your mind what you didn’t know last year,” Pate said. “That is, ‘I got a healthy and very talented backup on the bench in Cade Klubnik, and he had five stars next to his name too.'”
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