State of the Clemson QB room: How the pieces are coming together for the Tigers
D.J. Uiagalelei has been handed the keys to Clemson’s offense.
After a year of learning from Trevor Lawrence while also getting two starts when Lawrence was out with COVID-19 in 2020, Uiagalelei will be the Tigers’ starting quarterback this fall.
He completed his collegiate debut season with 914 yards and five touchdowns on 78-for-177 passing — all without throwing an interception in 10 games played. Now a sophomore, Uiagalelei will have to put those lessons in action as Clemson’s full-time starter. He’s already garnered preseason honors, being named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for an honor that will recognize the sport’s top athlete.
While his play isn’t in question, Tigers head football coach Dabo Swinney challenged the California native to take on a bigger leadership role during the summer, which he did.
“He’s working his butt off,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Tuesday of Uiagalelei. “He’s leading. He’s doing everything that he needs to do. ... Now the difference is, he’s had a full year here. The process may change a little bit because you’re in Year Two, so to speak. But in terms of your mindset and the way you approach it, it shouldn’t change whether you’re a guy that’s just getting here trying to move up the depth chart, a veteran that may not be where you want to be or you’re the guy that’s been a multiple-year starter.”
While there were some questions after the spring, the quarterback room behind Uiagalelei is beginning to take shape ahead of the 2021 season. Including the sophomore, the Tigers will have five quarterbacks on the roster: three scholarship and two walk-ons.
The Tigers will be without Taisun Phommachanh, who suffered an Achilles tear in April, but the chances for getting him back are better than originally expected. Swinney said he expects Phommachanh to be back before the end of the season but doesn’t have a set timetable for his return.
“There’s some really good reports coming out of the training room on his progress,” Elliott said. “So you feel confident that, at some point this season, you’ll get him back.”
In the meantime, Clemson still has freshman Will Taylor, who opted to stay in school and not immediately pursue a pro baseball career. There’s also walk-ons Hunter Helms, a redshirt freshman, and Billy Wiles, a true freshman.
When it comes to who will occupy the backup role, all three are capable, but Tigers quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter plans for Helms to assume the responsibility.
“Hunter Helms deserves that, has earned that,” he said. “Taisun would be, obviously, but we don’t know his exact timeline, but Hunter Helms, going into that first preseason camp, is going to be our No. 2 guy, but it’s all competition. Everybody’s got to re-earn their spot.”
Helms, who tallied 77 yards and two scores over three games last year, impressed Swinney during spring football and has continued to work on his craft during the summer, while Wiles is just now getting acclimated to college life.
Taylor was brought in with the understanding that, at some point, he’ll transition from quarterback to wide receiver. Even with experienced depth being shallow at the position, the plan was always to have him start at quarterback and transition to wide receiver next year.
“What he’s going to have to do is come in and learn the quarterback position and be ready to contribute at that position,” Elliott said, “and then we’ll transition, down the road, to the receiver position. I anticipate, with his skill set, he’s a gamer. He’s a natural. He’s played quarterback. I’m hoping that as we go forward, we can find some kind of role for him whether it’s at quarterback, whether it’s at receiver down the road, just because of the talent that he has.”
Clemson will know more once fall camp begins Aug. 6, but coaches have confidence in their quarterback personnel no matter who’s taking the snaps. Even with depth being a perceived concern, the Tigers aren’t worried about being cautious with how Uiagalelei is used and plan to keep at what they’ve been doing.
“Nothing has changed as of right now,” Elliott said. “We’ve got to go forward with the plan, and what we’ve always told our quarterback is do your job in the system, in particular in the run game, because that’s where a lot of the concern may come from is you’ve got to make this right.
“Even with those other guys, you see that there’s certain situations, certain games that they’ve got to make this right. They’ve got to neutralize the defense. They’ve got to give us an extra hat, create some better angles in the run game, so that hasn’t changed.”
College Gameday for Clemson-Georgia
ESPN announced Tuesday that its Saturday morning “College GameDay” TV show will air Sept. 4 from Charlotte, North Carolina as Clemson takes on Georgia in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium.
The show location will he at Bearden Park, a few minutes from the stadium. Kickoff for the game is 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
It’s the third time GameDay has originated from Charlotte. The broadcast will be Clemson’s 28th overall appearance on ESPN’s flagship college football preview show.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 2:26 PM.
