Swinney: 'I Don't Need Anybody on a Message Board to Tell Me Who DJ (Uiagalelei) Is'
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sometimes, faith is required where faith might not have necessarily been earned.
That's the approach Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is taking with his starting quarterback. In 2021, DJ Uiagalelei struggled in the passing game and drew the ire of the fan base at times.
But Swinney, who works with him on a daily basis, isn't ready to throw out his guy.
"I don't need anybody on a message board to tell me who DJ is," Swinney said. "I know who DJ is."
Swinney went on to back Uiagalelei even more at Wednesday's ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C.
"I got a lot of confidence in DJ," Swinney said. "Going to graduate in December. (Uiagalelei's) an unbelievable young man on and off the field. One of the best leaders that we've had come through. Incredibly committed. He has some scars on him and some shrapnel and some wounds. That's going to serve him well as he goes into this year."
Swinney compared his belief in Uiagalelei to when former Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips kept Swinney as Clemson's head coach after his first season.
"There were a lot of people on the message boards wanting me gone, right?" Swinney asked. "Then next year we won the ACC for the first time in 20 years."
Uiagalelei completed just 55.6 percent of his passes and threw nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2021, his first year as a starter. The five-star California prospect didn't look like the guy who ripped Notre Dame for over 400 passing yards as a freshman in 2020. Uiagalelei finished last in the ACC in QB rating and averaged 6 yards per pass last fall.
A notable difference between last year and this year is the arrival of freshman Cade Klubnik, a player who can push Uiagalelei if the struggles continue.
"It's a game of performance," Swinney said. "You can't change that. I can talk about how great he is all day long but he's got to go do it. But I believe in him. There ain't no doubt about that. We've got to be better around him. He's got to learn from his mistakes. He's got to play better in certain areas that he knows.
"I believe he is going to do it."
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