Despite Cade Klubnik's star turn late vs. Georgia Tech, DJ Uiagalelei remains Clemson starter, coaches say

ATLANTA — Clemson closed out an uneven performance Monday in its opener against Georgia Tech with a thrilling 10-play, 66-yard touchdown drive led by freshman Cade Klubnik, but following the 41-10 win, head coach Dabo Swinney said there's not a quarterback controversy for the Tigers.

Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter reiterated that DJ Uiagalelei, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 209 yards, 2 total touchdowns and a fumble, remains the clear-cut starter, despite Klubnik's impressive final drive.

«There is no question in my mind, no matter what you all think, DJ has earned the right to be the guy,» Streeter said. «And he did some good things that he didn't do last year. It's improvement.»

Uiagalelei got off to a slow start against Georgia Tech, with Clemson's offense limping through much of the first half, which included a botched snap on a third-and-1, Uiagalelei's fumble deep in the red zone, and several drops from Clemson receivers.

That the Tigers rebounded for an emphatic win — and a far smoother second half — offered ample evidence of Uiagalelei's improvement from 2021, when he was among the least efficient QBs in the Power 5.

«He didn't make a bad play worse,» Swinney said. «He took care of the ball outside of one play. He put the ball on the money. I thought he pushed through adversity.»

Uiagalelei offered some criticism of his own performance, noting a throw to EJ Williams in the end zone he narrowly missed, and a less-than-elegant performance as a runner.

Uiagalelei slimmed down by more than 25 pounds this offseason with the hope of being more mobile in the pocket, and Clemson utilized him as a runner 11 times Monday.

«I had a couple good runs, but sometimes I got tripped up and felt like if I got my knees