DJ Uiagalelei thanks coaches, teammates for sticking up for him through ups and downs

Clemson Tigers starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had a rough 2021 campaign. So much so, individuals outside the program were clamoring for head coach Dabo Swinney to make a change at quarterback. Fortunately for Uiagalelei, his head coach didn’t believe that to be the case then or now. As Uiagalelei and the Tigers prepare for their season opener against Georgia Tech in a Monday night matchup, the junior quarterback expressed his gratitude towards his teammates and head coach for having his back throughout his ups and downs.

“I’m unbelievably thankful for all the teammates, and especially coach Sweeney, that stood behind me and supported me through it all. And I appreciate them,” said Uiagalelei. “I appreciate them for all they’re done, like sticking up for me and representing me. It means a lot to me.

“I don’t know if there’s a certain point, but I think definitely, looking at where I’m at right now, I definitely feel a lot better than I was feeling during last season. But, I think I’m just ready to go out for game one; just come out and just come out and show the world is what I’ve been working.”

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After looking like The next great Clemson quarterback spelling Trevor Lawrence in 2020, Uiagalelei came crashing down to earth last season. Last year he struggled with his accuracy completing just 55.6% of his passes. Uiagalelei completed 208 of his 374 pass attempts for 2246 yards, just nine touchdowns, and ten interceptions.

Despite his showing from last season, Uiagalelei is back this year as Clemson’s starter; he’s ready to show the world he deserves his spot. Not only that, but he and his teammates are eager to display the things they learned over this offseason too.

“I definitely think I’ve grown a lot from it, especially from last year, spring, summer, but I’ve grown a lot from like depreciation. And just knowing when you’re down, at your lowest, or it’s not going as well, how to still be a leader. I think that was one thing that I learned from last year.

“When things aren’t going good, you still gotta be able to be a leader. Everyone can be a leader when you’re doing great; have great stats, and play amazingly. But the hardest part about being a leader is when you’re down, and you’re not playing as good as you want to. I think that that’s what taught me a lot about being a leader. I think that’s helped me a lot coming in this season.”

Uiagalelei might have had a brutal 2021 campaign. But given his talent and potential, he could be poised for an impressive bounce-back season and lead the tigers back to the summit of the college football world.