Klubnik says he will miss Uiagalelei, but he's focused on Tennessee

Cade Klubnik and DJ Uiagalelei pose after the ACC Championship win in Charlotte.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Dec 19 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Cade Klubnik has taken over the reins of the Clemson offense, something he has prepared for since the first day he arrived on campus. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to miss former starter DJ Uiagalelei. In fact, he’s going to miss him a lot.

Klubnik stepped in for Uiagalelei in the ACC Championship Game and led the Tigers to a 39-10 victory over North Carolina, prompting head coach Dabo Swinney to declare Klubnik the starter for the Orange Bowl against Tennessee.

But Uiagalelei was a consistent presence for the freshman, even during the game after Uiagalelei was pulled from the starting lineup.

“Yeah, just helping me pick apart defenses and schemes that they've been doing, and just nothing but encouragement,” Klubnik said of Uiagalelei’s help during the win over the Tar Heels. “I love that dude, and like I said, he's been so awesome to me since I got here, and just I'm super thankful for him.”

It didn’t take long for Uiagalelei to enter the transfer portal, and he’s been traveling around the country looking for a new home. In the meantime, Klubnik has been taking the starter’s reps in practice as the Tigers prepare to take on Tennessee in the Orange Bowl later this month.

Uiagalelei’s absence has been noticed.

“Oh, man, I'm going to miss that dude. I don't think I really realized how much he meant to me until he left,” Klubnik said. “Just so many things off the field, just whether it's encouragement right before I go in and practice and things like that. But I got to talk to him (the week after the ACC Championship). We had a great conversation, and I'm super excited. I'm super excited about what he's going to do these next couple of months. So, it'll be really fun for him.”

Swinney said Klubnik had a front row seat to see how Uiagalelei handled all of the adversity and negativity thrown his way.

“He was consistent through it all, and he led through it all,” Klubnik said. “He led through it all. He just stayed who he was and stayed true to his teammates. He never started pointing fingers and never turned an eye, just stayed who he was, and that really showed a lot.”

Klubnik is excited about the opportunity he has in front of him against the Volunteers.

“it’s a great matchup. Tennessee is a heck of a team,” Klubnik said. “They've had an amazing year and I think it'll be a really fun game. I think it'll be a big game for us. At the same time, it's just another game and we have to approach it the same as we would any other and I'm super excited. It'll be fun.”