Dabo Swinney on D.J. Uiagalelei vs Georgia Tech: 'Nobody in America had more eyes on them'

Few quarterbacks, if any, stared adversity and criticism in the face more than Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei. His first year as the Tiger’s starter went poorly for him individually and has had plenty of people asking to see him replaced. After his performance to open the 2022 season, though, Dabo Swinney may not be making that decision for some time.

Swinney shared his thoughts on Uiagalelei’s game after Clemson’s 41-10 win over Georgia Tech. He said you could see the difference in what his QB brought to the table and that he was glad to see him do it in front of a massive audience.

“I think you saw DJ do things tonight that we needed to see and that he didn’t do last year. He made a lot of plays with his legs, showed great leadership, great moxie. Like I said, (it was) probably best case scenario that it didn’t just all go perfect,” said Swinney. “There’s nobody in America that had more eyes on him tonight. I love how he responded. He made some huge plays for us…He made good decisions.”

Uiagalelei threw for 209 yards and a touchdown on a 59.4% completion rate. That’s an improvement on his accuracy as well as yardage that would have ranked third best during his 2021 campaign. Uiagalelei also rushed 13 times for 28 yards and another score. While he lost a fumble in the run game early, that was one of the mistakes Dabo Swinney eluded to and was proud to see his quarterback respond to.

You could really see Uiagalelei settle in during the course of the game. Whether it was first-game jitters or the pressure that got to him early, they weren’t affecting him the same way by the second half. By the end of the game, Swinney saw plenty of improvements that he’s been wanting to see in Uiagalelei’s game.

“He didn’t make a bad play worse, took care of the ball outside one play, and put the ball on the money. I thought he pushed through the adversity,” Swinney said.

Cade Klubnik did come in with a great drive in the fourth quarter, but this was DJ Uiagalelei’s night. It wasn’t perfect, but it was by no means the same struggle he went through last season. There was improved accuracy and production volume in general. The challenge for Uiagalelei now is to make sure it translates to the next game and the remainder of Clemson’s season.