Kirk Herbstreit ‘very nervous’ about Clemson’s QB situation
Clemson boasts the fourth-best odds to win the national championship next season, but one of college football’s biggest media personalities still has some reservations about the Tigers.
Speaking on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit believes Clemson’s quarterback situation remains a cause for concern ahead of the 2022 season.
“I just think you have to be practical. I tend to think Clemson, NC State and Wake — those teams are going to be in kind of a battle,” Herbstreit said of the Atlantic Division. “Clemson has them in back-to-back weeks. So I think that’s interesting. I’ll be honest, I’m very nervous about the play of the quarterback position right now at Clemson. I think DJ (Uiagalelei) has the goods. I think he’s a talented guy. But I think we just need to see a better job of what he can do more consistently. I watched him in the spring game. It was exciting to see that he has a chance.”
Uiagalelei enters the season as the team’s starting signal-caller, with five-star freshman Cade Klubnik behind him on the depth chart. As a sophomore in 2021, Uiagaelelei completed 55.6% of his passes for 2,246 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
In Clemson’s spring game in April, Uiagalelei finished with 175 passing yards and one interception on 47.2% passing. Although Klubnik had a more efficient performance statistically, as Herbstreit pointed out, Uiagalelei had flashes of his potential, such as this sideline throw to Joseph Ngata.
This angle… 😳😳😳@DJUiagalelei ➡️ @josephngata pic.twitter.com/376RYXgZx1
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 15, 2022
While Herbstreit is concerned about the quarterback situation, he was adamant that led behind one of the nation’s top defensive lines, Clemson could have the greatest defense in the ACC.
“It’s going to be weird this year to see Clemson without Coach V (Brent Venables) on the sidelines going crazy and being held back,” Herbstreit said. “I just think their defensive line is going to be arguably the best in the country. I really like to start there when it comes to forecasting who’s going to have a great defense. I saw enough in their bowl game — the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State because by then, Coach V was gone — to say, you know what? They’re still going to be sophisticated. They’re still going to be active. They’re still going to be moving — tough defense to figure out.”
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Clemson's 2023 recruiting class so far
