Clemson Offense 'Further Ahead' This Spring Compared to Season Ago

After the Tigers second spring practice, quarterback DJ Uiagalelei said the Clemson offense is much further ahead than it was at the same point last season.

CLEMSON, S.C.- A season ago, the Tigers' offense featured a multitude of youth and inexperience in key spots, as underclassmen littered the two-deep.

Clemson saw a steep drop off in production, due in part to that inexperience, and finished the season averaging just 361 yards of total offense per game and 5.2 yards per play. Those numbers were down substantially from the 502 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play that the team averaged in 2020.

It was the passing game, though, that really struggled, as the Tigers averaged less than 200 yards per game through the air, down more than 150 yards from the previous season. 

With spring practice now underway, a new season has begun and after just two practices, starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei can already tell the offense is further along than it was at the same point last spring.

"I feel like, the point we're at right now it's like we're like a lot farther ahead than we were last year on offense," Uiagalelei said.  "I feel like we're a lot older, a lot more grown-up. So a lot of the guys in the first group, even the second group, I feel like they're a lot more experienced and a lot more ready to go."

Having most of his receivers back on the field and healthy also helps, as injuries ravaged the group last season. Junior E.J. Williams is the only wideout that has yet to make it back.

"Feels good man, we got a lot of guys," UIagalelei said. "It's been amazing to see those guys out there and continue to keep competing, to continue to keep learning from young guys and old guys."

Despite the down year on offense, the Tigers were still able to keep their streak of 10-win seasons alive in 2021, but Uiagalelei readily admits that the program has now reached the point in which the aspirations are much higher.

"I feel like it was a blessing in disguise, almost," he said. "Obviously, the goal is not to go 10-3, it's to win a national championship every single year." 

Last season's challenges have also provided an opportunity for Uiagalelei to evolve as a player. He thinks he's done that and he's determined to take the lessons learned and be a more productive quarterback in 2022.

"Looking back at it from a different perspective, it was definitely a year for me to be able to grow and be able to learn from different stuff," Uiagalelei said. "To learn through adversity is to go through different challenges where it's gonna be able to bring you out the better person on the other side. I was thankful for it, thankful for the challenge that I was getting last year, and thankful I took it head-on."

The Tigers are among the favorites to win the national title according to Fanduel at +1000.

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