Clemson’s 5-star freshman QB ‘makes Trevor look kind of normal’
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has never been shy when it comes to heaping praise upon his players, but Swinney’s recent analysis of freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was eye-popping, even for him.
Uiagalelei (pronounced ooh-ee-AHN-guh-luh-lay) enrolled at Clemson this winter and went through nine spring practices with the Tigers before the spring was cut short due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Swinney saw enough in those nine practices to say Uiagalelei’s arm strength is elite, even compared with Clemson’s current star QB. Trevor Lawrence is one of the Heisman favorites entering the 2020 season and the likely No. 1 overall pick for 2021. But according to Swinney, Lawrence might not have the best arm strength on Clemson’s current roster.
“D.J., he’s just an unbelievable talent,” Swinney said during a recent teleconference with reporters. “We all know what type of arm Trevor has. And sometimes he makes Trevor look kind of normal with his ability to just rip that football. And then, oh by the way, he’s 6-4, 245 pounds and can move. Never really seen a guy quite like him. Very unique.”
Uiagalelei was rated as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 10 overall player for the class of 2020 by the 247Sports Composite rankings, and he appears to be living up to the hype early on.
He’s competing with redshirt freshman Taisun Phommachanh for Clemson’s backup quarterback job behind Lawrence, a battle Swinney said will carry over into fall camp. But whether Uiagalelei earns the backup job this year or not, it’s clear that the California native has a bright future and is off to a very promising start.
“What I was pleased with him is, he really picked it up very quick. He was never really overwhelmed. And if he was you didn’t know it. I loved his demeanor, just regardless of who you put him in with he just found a way to move the ball,” Swinney said. “He’s got a lot to learn. He’s got a lot to do this summer. But I thought he really took advantage of his opportunities and got better.”
While Swinney had plenty of praise for Uiagalelei, he warned to not count out Phommachanh (pronounced PUMA-chon) in the backup quarterback battle or as a potential starter for the Tigers down the road.
Swinney made it clear that he is pleased with the progress the former four-star recruit has made since arriving on campus.
“Taisun, he’s one of those guys that when he came in last year, I mean, he was overwhelmed. Day 1 he’s throwing dirt balls. You could tell it was kind of moving fast. And he has worked his tail off. Very smooth, very fluid, very knowledgeable. You can tell the game’s slowed down,” Swinney said. “He’s never going to look like D.J. or Trevor as far as just watching him throw the ball because he’s got a little bit of a different technique. But he’s very accurate and he’s got big time arm strength and talent.”
Between Lawrence, Uiagalelei and Phommachanh, Swinney feels good about Clemson’s quarterback situation right now and for the foreseeable future.
“Wow. That’s the biggest word I could say about this quarterback room. Very special group. Unbelievable character in the room,” Swinney said. “It’s a really, really talented group. We’re incredibly fortunate to have those guys and going to be a blast when we get back on the field with them at some point.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 10:36 AM.
