It has been a tough season for Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, getting benched on numerous occasions for his poor performances by head coach Dabo Swinney.
Saturday’s ACC Championship game against North Carolina presented a great opportunity for Uiagalelei to quiet his critics.
However, Clemson’s slow start in the game gave Swinney no choice but to bench his quarterback yet again. Uiagalelei led the Tigers for their first two possessions and got nothing going.
Clemson totaled seven yards and no first downs in their first two possessions, and they turned to freshman backup Cade Klubnik to try and give a spark to their offense.
He did so in a big way, leading the team down the field on his first possession and capping the impressive drive off with a touchdown pass.
He did the same on the next two drives, leading two other scoring drives to put the Tigers in the driver’s seat in this matchup with some impressive throws in the first half.
It certainly seems like this may have been the final straw for Uiagalelei at Clemson, leading to questions about his future at the program moving forward.
DJ Uiagalelei gonna enter the transfer portal during halftime or wait until the end of the game?
— jesse spector (@jessespector) December 4, 2022
Given how well Klubnik has played on this big stage, it certainly begs the question of how different their season could have been if they had turned to him over Uiagalelei earlier in the season.
In all likelihood, the Tigers would be in the College Football Playoff picture if they had beaten South Carolina last week, but they ultimately lost in large part due to Uiagalelei’s struggles.
It undoubtedly leaves Clemson fans with a big “what if” on their season, and DJ Uiagalelei could be entering the transfer portal sooner rather than later.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.