Dabo Swinney agrees with DJ Uiagalelei's critical comments about Clemson's offense

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei made headlines Sunday in a candid interview with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, detailing his unhappiness in a Tigers’ offense he called “basic.”

The former 5-star expressed frustrations with Clemson’s stale scheme and believed the Tigers’ coaching staff — from head coach Dabo Swinney to first-year offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter — didn’t trust him by the end. 

“I didn’t want to do what I was doing at Clemson,” Uiagalelei detailed on why he transferred to Oregon State after three seasons with the Tigers. 

I didn’t really like what we did there scheme-wise. It was very basic. It didn’t help me out as a quarterback and play to my strengths. I wanted to go somewhere that would play to my strengths and go somewhere that would develop me for the NFL. Play-action, work under center, throwing the ball deep.”

“This has been definitely different. The scheme is totally different than what we were doing at Clemson. I feel like it’s a lot better,” Uiagalelei added. 

“It’s just new stuff. I wasn’t doing any of these run-checks at the line; I wasn’t really under center. It’s a lot more plays. All of these different play-action plays; these different two-man routes, three-man routes. All the stuff that I wanted to do at Clemson but we weren’t doing. It’s exciting. I’m just taking it day by day.”

Uiagalelei first flashed as a freshman when he started in place of an injury Trevor Lawrence against Notre Dame, but his sophomore season was a real struggle (nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions) and he admitted contemplating a transfer then. Although he was better in 2022, DJ Uiagalelei was still a lightning rod for criticism with some ill-advised turnovers and continued accuracy issues (just 61% completion). He was benched twice for 5-star freshman Cade Klubnik, including in the ACC Championship. 

“You can feel that (lack of confidence from coaches) as a player,” he detailed to Feldman. 

“You know sometimes how they call plays; like calling plays scared, timid. Not opening it up 100 percent because they don’t trust the quarterback. I felt that definitely at times. For the quarterback that is tough, like, ‘Man, they don’t trust you.’ They’re saying, ‘Yeah, we trust you, but their actions don’t show it.’ And it’s not just me who sees it, all the other players see it as well. ‘Man, why aren’t we throwing the ball? It’s wide open.’ It was tough.”

Uiagalelei has found a new home in Corvallis, and his short time working with Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith seems to be the fresh start he was looking for. He’s not guaranteed a starting job at Oregon State, though, as he enters the summer in a three-way battle there. 

In a day and age when so many athletes are reluctant to show honesty and openness, DJ Uiagalelei’s comments were refreshing. They were full of some irony, too. 

Many of Uiagalelei’s complaints confirm what many in college and pro football have thought for years about Clemson’s offense — that the other-world talents of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence masked a scheme that more and more antiquated each fall. Since Chad Morris left Clemson, the Tigers’ offense has been far too clunky and gummy despite a pair of superstar QBs and a factory of former 1st Round receivers and tailbacks. Uiagalelei committed to the Tigers’ program knowing this was the scheme, so there’s a least a whiff of a lack of self-awareness here, too.  

But his blunt comments aren’t wrong or misguided, and we know that because Dabo Swinney finally came to the same conclusion this offseason. 

While it took longer than it should’ve, Swinney proved he was serious about fixing Clemson’s offense by hiring and empowering TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The Tigers clearly needed a fresh set of eyes — and ideas — offensively. As a reminder, Clemson didn’t have a single offensive on-field staffer in 2022 who’d worked at any Power 5 program not named Clemson, so Dabo going outside the family tree this winter was quite notable. That he landed the best available OC was the cherry on top of his decision to upgrade the Tigers’ system.

Riley is among the most innovative and aggressive OCs in the country. Considering how he developed Max Duggan from a backup into a Heisman Trophy finalist, you could make the argument Uiagalelei might’ve been best served waiting to see what changes Swinney would make before transferring from Clemson. But clearly, enough distrust and discontentment had festered for both sides. 

In the end, Uiagalelei found a system he believes in, and Clemson confirmed his complaints were valid by making necessary changes by upgrading their scheme, too.