Five things Clemson football wants to see from the future face of its program before 2020 ends
The 2020 Clemson football team is well on its way to another CFB Playoff berth and competing for another National Championship, but what about after this season.
When 2020 comes to an end, the Clemson football program will be losing two historically great players in Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. That means there will be a competition for the first time in two seasons at the quarterback position, but we all know who has the inside track for the job.
Former 5-star QB D.J. Uiagalelei has won the second-string job behind Lawrence as a freshman and the expectation is that he’ll win the starting spot next year when Lawrence heads off to the NFL.
With Clemson football replacing Lawrence, here are five things we still want to see from Uiagalelei before the 2020 season comes to an end.
5. More crispness on passing attempts
Uiagalelei might have a stronger arm than Trevor Lawrence, but there’s still be an a lack-of-crispness on some of his passing attempts.
He’s either had them broken up or hasn’t been able to fit them into tight windows. Most of that just comes with experience and getting a feel for the game rather than anything mechanical, but what we want to see from Uiagalelei as the season progresses and he continues to see more playing time is a more crisp ball with better accuracy.
He has the arm talent to be another No. 1 overall pick in a future NFL Draft and we want to see him display that skill even when the game isn’t in doubt.
4. Chemistry developing with future starters
One of the most important aspects of Uiagalelei’s development during this 2020 Clemson football season is that he develops chemistry with his teammates for next season.
Though Uiagalelei hasn’t had too many opportunities to play with the likes of Frank Ladson Jr. and Joseph Ngata, those are the guys he needs to develop chemistry with.
We want to see E.J. Williams and Ajou Ajou come alive when Uiagalelei is in the game. Brannon Spector is another name to watch. If Cornell Powell returns, he could be an important piece of the wide receiver room.
Look for Uiagalelei to have more opportunities in late October and November to develop chemistry with his future starters and, hopefully, that will pay off in 2021.
3. A little more of that ‘tank formation’
Clemson ran out Uiagalelei in a couple of formations during the Miami game and hasn’t gone back to that formation yet.
Look for the Tigers to do that a little more often during the last month of the season. It’s not going to be a regular occurrence, but it is something that can shift the focus of the defense and give them something else to worry about all the while giving Uiagalelei valuable snaps.
Uiagalelei is a strong runner and there’s no doubt that there’s benefit to having him bulldoze forward for needed yardage while also knowing at any point he could throw one over the top.
2. The deep ball
Speaking of ‘over-the-top,’ we want to see Uiagalelei’s deep ball.
He hasn’t been able to attempt many long passes down the field- mostly due to play-calling, and partly due to the inconsistency of that backup offensive line- but we want to see at least a little less than a handful of attempts before the season is over.
Being able to throw the deep ball is important- especially when you have a rocket for an arm like he does- and it would certainly be something Clemson football fans would love to watch if Uiagalelei could let it loose a couple of times over the course of the rest of the season.
1. Full leadership & control while running the offense
The most important aspect of playing the quarterback position is being comfortable in the offense and being able to call out blitzes, pick up on coverages and comfortably lead your unit.
Uiagalelei has done a solid job of this when he’s been in the game, but we want to see him solidify his leadership and control over that second-team offense.
He’s going to be counted upon to be a leader next season for Clemson football and that all starts with the remainder of this year.
There’s no doubt that Uiagalelei has the talent to be a special player for Clemson football and it will be interesting to see how he closes out his true-freshman campaign.