DJ Uiagalelei reveals lessons learned from 2021 season

The Clemson Tigers didn’t have the 2021 most expected following the departure of Trevor Lawrence, finishing a respectable 10-3 on the season but falling well short of their national championship aspirations.

For quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, his season shared the same sentiment. The heir to Lawrence’s throne finished the 2021 season with more interceptions than touchdowns (10-9) and 2,246 yards (77th best in NCAA) passing – more will be needed out of Uiagaleleli if the Tigers want to return to national prominence and prove last season was a blue on the radar.

“I think for the most part what I learned from last season is the experience of just getting a comfortability level and going through a whole season and being able to be a starter the whole season,” Uiagalelei said. “Being a starter for a whole season instead of just playing starter for two games as my freshman year taught me a lot about how to manage it, how to manage everything, how to manage media, manage going into preparation of a game, going through just the whole season I feel like for the most part. That was the biggest thing I learned.”

One positive fans can take away from Uiagalelei’s first year as Clemsons’ starter is the fact that he led the Tigers to six consecutive victories to end the season, including a 20-13 victory over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Uiagalelei’s numbers didn’t improve much through the six-game winning streak, completing 57 percent (99-175) of his passes for 1,144 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. His numbers through seven games saw him throw for 1,002 yards, four scores and five picks on a 51 percent completion percentage. The point being – he might not have improved much, but Uiagalelei did improve on the field down the stretch and showed the command expected out of a Clemson quarterback to win six games in a row.

Clemson’s national championship contention this season will be based on the efforts out of the quarterback position. The Tigers have churned out NFL products like Lawrence and the controversial Deshaun Watson, and a season that lives up to expectations under center could prove that Uiagalelei can be the next pro prospect at quarterback out of Clemson.

Uiagalelei’s first chance at redemption comes in the form of ACC foe Georgia Tech on Monday, Sept. 5 on the road in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.