Clemson football: DJ Uiagalelei will have a tight leash vs. FSU

There were very few changes made in the released depth chart for the Clemson football team heading into the Florida State game, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some major switch-ups in playing time and the pecking order at different positions.

Perhaps the most intriguing position to watch offensively will be at quarterback.

D.J. Uiagalelei, who has started every game this season, is still listed as the starter despite being pulled in the second half after an abysmal performance to make way for Taisun Phommachanh. Uiagalelei did come back in the game in the fourth quarter and led Clemson on a touchdown drive.

Following the game and throughout media availability this week, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has said that every position is “up for grabs” and that the quarterback who starts will be the one who has the best week of practice.

D.J. Uiagalelei will be the starter on Saturday for Clemson football, but he will have little room for error

Uiagalelei has shown flashes throughout this season, but the problem is that he hasn’t been able to consistently perform at a high level, or frankly, even an average level.

He has overthrown targets. He has missed behind them. He has taken sacks when he shouldn’t have. He has made the wrong read in RPO situations. He has looked timid.

On Saturday, he’ll have very little room for more errors of that sort.

The Tiger coaches have made it clear that they’re not going to be afraid to put in Taisun Phommachanh if things aren’t going well and we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the backup QB get a series early on in the game just to potentially create a spark.

If Uiagalelei leads Clemson on a couple of touchdown drives early, it’ll be his job for the remainder of the afternoon. If not, and we see a few punts early, don’t be surprised to see Phommachanh take over.