ACC coach has doubts concerning effects of DJ Uiagalelei's weight loss

One of the big topics concerning Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei this off-season has been his weight and how it’s going to affect his play. He’s lost between 20 and 25 pounds since the 2021 season. It’s a goal he set for himself to help improve his on-field play. However, at least one anonymous ACC coach doesn’t expect it to have much effect on his play.

An ACC coach, who chose to remain anonymous, opened up with ESPN. He feels that DJ Uiagalelei was “humbled” after not living up to “unrealistic expectations.” He’s also not convinced that losing weight will help his play.

“He’s a big, strong runner, but wasn’t really like (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 ACC coach told ESPN.

“But any time your quarterback has a year under his belt, he’s going to be better.”

Whether the ACC coach is right and losing weight doesn’t help DJ Uiagalelei remains to be seen. Either way, Clemson is still the class of the conference and the favorite by most people to win the conference in 2022.

DJ Uiagalelei might be looking over his shoulder

The truth is that DJ Uiagalelei didn’t live up to expectations in 2021, and it’s a large part of why Clemson failed to win the ACC. Now, with five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik looking over his shoulder, he has to be feeling pressure to perform well right away.

“Cade brings that hunger. It’s been great a time to work with him. He brings the energy each and every day and he does a great job of coming out here and doing his job,” DJ Uiagalelei said, praising Cade Klubnik. “I love the consistency that he brings as a young guy coming in. It’s been great to see and I’m excited for him because he’s gonna have a great year this year.”