Clemson Spring Wrap Up: Quarterback

The most important position on the field, and the area in which the Tigers are facing the most questions.

Rising junior DJ Uiagalelei needed a big spring, and despite a mediocre at best performance in the spring game, it’s obvious he’s put in the work.

“He had a good spring and did what he needed to do to give himself some momentum going into the summer,” head coach Dabo Swinney said following the spring game.

While the slimmed down Uiagalelei absolutely looked improved in some facets of his game, it’s fair to question whether he’s improved THAT much. With such a vanilla game plan, so many offensive players out, and a relentless pass rush in his face pretty much every play, it’s hard to get a good read on it. There are no doubt still a couple of throws in which he continued to struggle with accuracy.

Freshman Cade Klubnik certainly looked the part, and provides the Tigers with another option for the coming season that was not there a season ago. There were some of the typical freshman mistakes, but the potential is abundantly clear.

Another thing that seemed abundantly clear, was that Swinney didn’t appear to be one bit worried about his quarterbacks. The head coach maintained throughout the spring that he’s seen more than enough from Uiagalelei. Having Klubnik on the roster also makes him feel a little more confident.

“I rest real easy on that position, I love the guys that we have there,” Swinney said.

For those hoping for some sort of quarterback controversy coming out of the spring, Swinney shot that notion down real quick, adding that he thinks his team can win with either player.

“DJ is definitely our starter,” Swinney said. “He has had a great spring. He has not done anything to not be the starter. Cade is a really talented player. We got two guys, I think, that can win at a high level, just like when Trevor (Lawrence) and DJ were coming out of the spring.”

Behind those two are Hunter Helms and Billy Wiles. Hunter Johnson will also join the group for fall camp, giving Swinney more than enough quality depth, despite any lingering questions some on the outside looking in may still have.