While There's Competition, There's No QB Battle at Clemson Right Now

Clemson offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter addressed his quarterback situation between DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik after Monday's practice.

CLEMSON, S.C. — There's a big difference between the words "battle" and "competition" when it comes to college football positions during fall camp.

Which word a coach tends to use, or not use, matters a great deal. When Clemson offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter spoke about DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik after Monday's practice, "battle" never came up.

"There's no doubt there's competition," Streeter said. "There is definitely competition, but DJ, he's the guy right now. He's our guy."

Through nine fall-camp practices, that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Despite Uiagalelei completing just 55.6 percent of his throws and producing the lowest passer rating in the ACC in 2021, the Clemson coaching staff has been adamant that he's the guy in 2022.

"Right now, DJ's our starting quarterback," Streeter said. "He's been solid this whole camp. He really has. He's been moving so much better. He's been doing a great job of leadership. These guys really want to follow him."

Klubnik, a true freshman and one of the top-rated QBs of the 2022 recruiting class, is still learning and competing. 

"Cade has done an awesome job. He's doing nothing but continuing to get better and better and better." 

Uiagalelei vowed to drop weight, improve his mechanics and be a better leader. In the scrimmage Saturday, he was a part of several big plays, so the hard work appears to be paying off and staving off Klubnik with three weeks left before the Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. 

"(Uiagalelei's) got to stay consistent and keep playing and keep getting better," Streeter said. "That's what competition is about. It's making all of those guys in my room better and better each day." 

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