Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney benched starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei during the third quarter of Sunday’s 27-21, come-from-behind victory over the Syracuse Orange.
Uiagalelei had struggled in the Tigers’ 7-0 start, and that was no different Saturday. Uiagalelei went 13 of 21 for 138 yards and two interceptions before Swinney made the move to freshman Cade Klubnik. The Tigers trailed 21-7 at that point in the game.
Klubnik promptly led Clemson’s offense to the fourth-quarter comeback for the win.
Despite the heroics, Swinney was quick to reassure the public that Uiagalelei remains Clemson’s starting quarterback despite Saturday’s struggles.
Dabo Swinney tells @MollyAMcGrath "DJ's our quarterback. There ain't no question about that."
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) October 22, 2022
“Dabo Swinney tells Molly McGrath [that], ‘DJ’s our quarterback. There ain’t no question about that,'” Andrea Adelson wrote on Twitter.
Uiagalelei arrived at Clemson as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class from St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. However, he has yet to achieve the heights at Clemson as expected of a recruit of his stature. This season, Uiagalelei has completed 137 of his 213 attempts for 1,665 yards. He has thrown 17 touchdowns, but his first two interceptions of the season were enough to earn the benching.
Klubnik was the No. 1 overall pro-style of the 2022 class.
The Tigers are next in action on Nov. 5th when they travel to Indiana to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
