Eric Mac Lain weighs in on DJ Uiagalelei, Cade Klubnik in Clemson quarterback competition

Last season was a big of an up-and-down campaign for the Clemson Tigers. Clemson started the year 4-3 before rattling off six consecutive victories to end the year, finishing 10-3 overall and 6-2 against ACC opponents. As the new season approaches, a big question mark for Clemson is the quarterback position, with DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik fighting for the starting job.

Uiagalelei was Clemson’s starting quarterback last season, but after struggling during the year some believe that Klubnik could push him for the starting role. Eric Mac Lain, a former Clemson offensive lineman, recently said that Klubnik starting over Uiagalelei wouldn’t be crazy.

On McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Mac Lain dove further into Clemson’s quarterback room and what Uiagalelei has done to put himself in a better position for success in 2022.

“Now that we’ve seen DJ Uiagalelei really change his body, his competition, he looks fantastic, he looks like a totally different football player, but what does that mean,” Mac Lain said. “In the spring game, you QBs aren’t touched, you’re not hit. So whether he would’ve gotten out of a play, can he extend a play, how well is this new body going to work, it’s still yet to be determined.”

Last season, Uiagalelei completed 55.6% of his passes, throwing for 2,246 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 308 yards and four touchdowns.

Klubnik adding competition to Clemson’s quarterback room could be a boost for Uiagalelei

Uiagalelei was a highly touted recruit in the 2020 class, as he was the 15th-rated overall player and the second-rated quarterback as a five-star player, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

Klubnik is a highly touted recruit himself, and his addition to the quarterback room could possibly help Uiagalelei push himself to improve. Klubnik was the third-rated quarterback and a top-30 national player in the 2022 class as a five-star recruit, according to the On3 Consensus.

“The biggest question until proven otherwise is going to be quarterback play and just what can he do,” said Mac Lain. “I honestly think that the best thing that has happened to Clemson in this offseason is the fact that Cade Klubnik, one of the best players in the country last year from high school, enrolled early and has really pushed DJ. I think competition makes everyone better, and it’s going to be one of those things, if it’s another situation that at four games we see a change, or did that pressure, did that competitiveness push DJ to be the best version of himself.

“We’ve seen flashes, we know he can do it. It’s unbelievable to see the drastic disparity in performance, yet I think he can take that step. So I’m not writing him off in any means of the imagination yet for being one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, I think he can get there. But as I said, until proven otherwise, they have a way to go offensively.”

Clemson opens the 2022 season at home against Georgia Tech on Monday, September 5.