David Pollack doubles down on quarterback opinion prior to DJ Uiagialelei touchdown
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei struggled early against Georgia Tech on Monday, drawing some criticism from ESPN analyst David Pollack. With the Tigers offense looking a bit sluggish to start, Pollack responded to a tweet from Todd McShay praising the Tigers defense to question the decision to start Uiagalelei.
“1000% agree,” Pollack wrote of the defense. “Unfortunately I think the offense is too! I said preseason that I thought this O is going to need Cade Klubnik at QB at some point.”
Shortly after that tweet, Uiagalelei made Pollack eat his words by leading the offense on a 67-yard touchdown drive. The quarterback went 4-for-6 passing for 53 yards and also rushed for 12 on the drive before connecting with Beaux Collins for a six-yard score.
The touchdown pass was the first of the game for Uiagalelei, who is so far 11-of-15 passing for 108 yards. Clemson is currently holding on to a 14-0 lead at halftime.
In his first full season as starter last year, Uiagalelei struggled and ended with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine). The Tigers also missed both the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff for the first time in six seasons. That lackluster performance has put pressure on him to improve in 2022 or else he could be in danger of losing the starting job.
The Tigers brought in Cade Klubnik, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 class according to On3 Consensus, behind him. Many, including David Pollack, have already called for Klubnik to replace DJ Uiagalelei as the starter.
Uiagalelei got off to a rough start Monday, fumbling on just the second drive of the game. Clemson failed to score on its first four drives of the game, but finally found some rhythm in the second quarter to score twice.
With the second half upcoming, Uiagalelei will hope for a performance that proves Pollack and the rest of his doubters wrong.