College Football: Clemson’s Quarterback Quandary
Since Dabo Swinney took the reins of the Clemson football program, they have become one of the most formidable teams in the country. They have also been known for their string of phenomenal quarterbacks, going from Taj Boyd to Deshaun Watson, and a year after Watson they brought in freshman Trevor Lawrence. This is an exceptional run of players and it has brought the Tigers two national championships and multiple more title-game appearances. Of course, those teams were loaded with talent but look at the season between Watson and Lawrence.
That team was equally as talented as both championship teams, but they didn’t have the quarterback to get them over the top. That takes us to this past season. Heading into 2021, DJ Uiagalelei was expected to take over and continue the team’s success. Unfortunately, that is not what happened and Clemson ended up having their worst season under Swinney. This was somewhat of a surprise too, because when Uiagalelei started a couple of games for an injured Lawrence, he looked very good. After this past season, however, it’s time to re-evaluate.
In 2021 Uiagalelei took a major leap backward as he was overwhelmed. He not only became a much less confident player, but at times he looked afraid to throw the ball and it deflated an offense that has been known as one of the nation’s most explosive. Thankfully for Clemson, Division I teams are allowed to have a spring game to start assessing what their team will look like. What did Clemson see last weekend and are there other options available? Well, that is what we are going to find out.
What the spring game showed
The game was headlined by the starting quarterbacks on each team. The orange team was led by the Uiagalelei and the white team was led by freshman Cade Klubnik. Though Uiagalelei threw the ball 13 more times than Klubnik, he completed only 47% of his passes. He also threw one interception and had no touchdowns. Klubnik completed 15 of his 23 passes for a 65% completion rate. He had one touchdown pass and no interceptions. With close to a 20% higher completion percentage, the freshman looked much more efficient than the veteran. Uiagalelei had more passing yards (175) than Klubnik’s 106, but a 69-yard difference on 13 fewer pass attempts isn’t that big of a difference.
What should they do
It’s extremely difficult to beat experience, so Uiagalelei holds a slight edge over the freshman. However, the veteran quarterback will no doubt be on a short leash. If Uiagalelei can become a more efficient player, while also becoming a more aggressive player, then he should hold on to the starting job. However, if he doesn’t take a step forward, don’t be surprised to see the Klubnik sooner rather than later. It’s a lot to overcome in both scenarios, but for a team that expects greatness, sometimes a brash decision needs to be made.
Look at the Jalen Hurts-Tua Tagovailoa situation a few years ago. Alabama head coach Nick Saban knew this was the decision that needed to be made and stuck with his gut, not worrying about the crazy optics of the move. If Swinney doesn’t see improvement in Uiagalelei, he will need to pull the trigger and see what Klubnik can do.
