Former Clemson quarterback trio grabs starting jobs at new football programs
A trio of former Clemson quarterbacks will begin the 2023 football season as starters at their new programs: DJ Uiagalelei at Oregon State, Billy Wiles at Southern Mississippi and Taisun Phommachanh at Massachusetts.
According to multiple reports, Uiagalelei, who played in 35 games in three seasons at Clemson, beat out incumbent quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who was 7-1 as a starter for the Beavers last season, and freshman Aidan Chiles.
Uiagalelei, of Inland Empire, California, transferred following the 2022 season after being replaced by freshman Cade Klubnik early in the Tigers’ ACC Championship Game victory against North Carolina. Klubnik later was named the starter for the Tigers' Orange Bowl game against Tennessee.
Uiagalelei had 5,681 yards passing and 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions at Clemson.
Southern Miss coach Will Hall named Wiles the team’s starter after Tuesday’s practice. Wiles was a preferred walk-on at Clemson who was put on scholarship for the 2022 season.
The Ashburn, Virginia native completed 2-of-4 passes for 31 yards, including a touchdown pass to Jake Briningstool, in his career with the Tigers. Wiles, who did not appear in a game in 2022, entered the transfer portal in December.
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Phommachanh was named the starter at UMass by coach Don Brown on Monday afternoon. Phommachanh appeared in 13 games in three seasons at Clemson, passing for 204 yards and rushing for 150. He had one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
Phommachanh, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, transferred to Georgia Tech and played last season with the Yellow Jackets, completing 2-of-5 passes and rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Former Clemson quarterback trio grabs starting jobs at new football programs
