DJ Uiagalelei responds to ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips comments on NIL

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed multiple topics during his time on the podium during the 2022 conference’s media days event Wednesday, including NIL, expanding the College Football Playoffs and the prospect of conference realignment.

When asked, Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei said that while he didn’t completely understand what Phillips was saying in his NIL rant, he could offer up his own opinion based on his personal experiences within the ever-changing NIL landscape as a quarterback of one of the nation’s perennial championship contenders.

“For me, I know that for us as a Clemson program that everyone that does make money on our team, everyone is happy for each other,” Uiagalelei said. “I feel like in our locker room that everyone supports people if you do make some money from NIL. As long as you keep football the main thing in your life and that you don’t let NIL become the main focus, I feel like NIL can be perfectly fine in a college football setting.

“Once you make NIL the main topic and it’s more important than football, then I feel like someone has to come and step in and make an issue for that.”

According to On3’s NIL Deal Tracker, Uiagalelei has five deals ranging from national to local brands – seemingly a good balance for a starting quarterback of a team that is expected to compete for a national championship in 2022.

Add in Uiagalelei’s On3 NIL Valuation of $415,000 (No. 82 on the NIL100), and it seems Uiagalelei is making more than a healthy living while still being able to keep his focus on the football field.

That isn’t to say Uiagalelei’s 2021 campaign wasn’t without its struggles. Uiagalelei opened last season as a Heisman contender before a disappointing 13 games. He struggled as the heir to Trevor Lawrence with 2,246 yards and that 9-to-10 touchdown to interception ratio. Now, it’s now a make-or-break year for Clemson and for Uiagalelei’s NFL Draft stock.

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.