Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei officially entered the transfer portal Monday after an up-and-down season in which he was ultimately benched by coach Dabo Swinney in the ACC championship game.
Uiagalelei, a junior, completed his final campaign with 2,521 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to go alongside seven picks, as the Tigers went 11-2.
“God has brought me to this special place for a reason and I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything,” Uiagalelei posted to Twitter on Monday. “I am very thankful and appreciative of the staff, trainers and my coaches for believing in me and pushing me every day to be the best I can both on and off the field.
“After careful consideration I would like to say that I have decided to enter the transfer portal.”
From Week 1 of the season, when Clemson could not find their rhythm on the offensive side of the football, before breaking the game open against Georgia Tech, there was hype about backup Cade Klubnik, a highly touted recruit, replacing Uiagalelei.
Klubnik did play in that win over the Yellow Jackets, but after the game was well in hand.
The stability of the quarterback position became a weekly topic in Swinney’s press conferences after that. And as the season progressed, the coach continued to put his support behind Uiagalelei.
Even as recent as last week, when the Tigers prepared to meet North Carolina in the ACC championship game, Swinney said that Uiagalelei would start against the Tar Heels even though he struggled mightily in a 31-30 loss to South Carolina to close the regular season.
Swinney deflected blame for that loss from Uiagalelei, pointing to turnovers and drops from receivers as contributing factors.
However, during the win over the Tar Heels, things changed and Klubnik came off the bench providing a much-needed spark to lift the Tigers to a 39-10 win. It was their seventh conference title in eight years.
Uiagalelei started the first two series and his confidence seemed to be shaken, going 2-of-5 for 10 yards. Both of his drives ended in three-and-outs. Klubnik then entered the game, led a scoring drive and played the remainder of the game, going 20-of-24 for 309 total yards and two total touchdowns.
Afterward, Swinney said the plan heading into the game was for Klubnik to come in on the third series no matter what. Once Klubnik started moving the ball down the field, there was no turning back.
Swinney acknowledged that Klubnik will be under center for the Tigers in the Capital One Orange Bowl against Tennessee on December 30.
“Things have to happen the way they’re supposed to happen, and tonight, that’s the way it went, and Cade was ready,” Swinney said after the win. “You got a chance to see what he can do. He played in rhythm, guys made plays for him. He’s really, really fast. He can really make plays with his legs. It was a great night and a glimpse of our future and what it looks like at Clemson.”
