Trevor Lawrence: 'I have a lot of faith' in DJ Uiagalelei

Trevor Lawrence has been in DJ Uiagalelei’s shoes before. He knows the pressures that come with being the starting quarterback of the Clemson Tigers. The fan scrutiny when things aren’t going well.

Uiagalelei and the offense have been under fire this season as Clemson sits at 3-2. The criticism is justified to a degree. The Tigers are putting up just 21.2 points per game, which ranks 112th in FBS.

However, Lawrence wants folks to remember Uiagalelei has started only five games this season. He is still learning.

“I’ll still hit him up every now and then and check on him,” Lawrence said. “I think everyone kind of goes through everything at their own pace. You’ve just got to learn and grow. He’ll do that. I checked in on him after the Georgia game just to make sure he’s hanging in there.

“Just gotta stay the course. That’s the biggest thing. If you don’t quit, it’s all gonna work out. We haven’t had at-length conversations, but I definitely have a lot of faith in him. He’s a great guy.”

Clemson escaped Boston College this past week for a 19-13 victory. Uiagalelei completed under 50% of his passes and failed to throw a touchdown. He has a 54.3% completion rate on the season, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

A game Friday against Syracuse at 7 p.m. ET offers a chance for him to rewrite the narrative on his season. One of the highest rated recruits in the 2020 class, it’s clear that he has the talent to do so.

Part of the criticism on Uiagalelei is because of the high standard that Lawrence and fellow former Tiger Deshaun Watson set. Both quarterbacks led Clemson to national championships and were taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

This year the Tigers are likely to miss the College Football Playoff for the first time in the past six seasons. That said, the conference championship game is still within reach. If Clemson can beat Wake Forest on Nov. 20, it might have a shot.

But to get to that point, the offense needs to find a new gear in the second half of the season. Mistakes are unacceptable at this point. Can DJ Uiagalelei turn this team around like Trevor Lawrence believes he can?