JD PicKell: Breaking down the quarterback position at Clemson

Clemson comes into 2022 with a tense situation at quarterback. DJ Uiagalelei didn’t live up to expectations in 2021, and it hurt Clemson’s ACC Title and College Football Playoff hopes. Behind him sits Cade Klubnik, a five-star prospect who could easily push Uiagalelei this season.

On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down that challenging and complex quarterback situation at Clemson.

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“Clemson has their own quarterback, I don’t even want to say quarterback race,” J.D. PicKell said on The Hard Count. “We’ll say quarterback storyline.”

Dabo Swinney has said that DJ Uiagalelei is the Clemson quarterback. He came out swinging during ACC Media Days in defense of him too. So, we know that Uiagalelei is going to start the season. Recently, Brandon Streeter, the offensive coordinator used the words “right now,” when describing his status as the starter.

“So, the only thing that I sort of raise my eyebrow at is, you said, ‘Right now, DJ is our quarterback.’ Why even include that? Why not just say DJ is our quarterback? He looked great. To say right now implies he may not be at another point in time.”

This is all reading between the lines, but it seems like Clemson is going to play the best player available. Notably, while DJ Uiagalelei is the starter, he has a short leash. Players like Cade Klubnik are capable and can push him if things go south.

“Clemson needs to have that quarterback position at least solid,” J.D. PicKell emphasized. “Doesn’t have to be a superstar, doesn’t have to have to be throwing 30 touchdowns and three interceptions, but you need to be solid because this team has so many pieces around him, especially on defense.”