Clemson football: In an ACC full of good QBs, Tigers in precarious position

For years Clemson football has won with superstar quarterbacks at the helm.  From Tajh Boyd, to Deshaun Watson to Trevor Lawrence the Tigers lived and died by the position in wins and losses not to mention National Championships.

One could argue that the Tigers won 10 games in 2021 in spite of the play at the quarterback position, though I’m of the belief that the problems were deeper than that.  I’m not absolving D.J. Uiagalelei part of the responsibility, just saying that quarterback play wasn’t the only issue.

The fact is it’s difficult to win without good quarterback play no matter who you are or how your team plays.  Some teams are more quarterback dependent than others.

Looking around the ACC this preseason, it’s clear that the Tigers will face some very good quarterbacks in the regular season and that places Clemson in a precarious position in my view.

We can argue about the order (I personally prefer Tyler Van Dyke over Devin Leary), but week after week in the ACC Clemson faces some of the best: Leary, Van Dyke, Hartman, Cunningham and Jurkovec.

At one point Clemson has Hartman, Leary and Jurkovec back to back to back in a three game (and three week) span.

Interestingly the author also put D.J. Uiagalelei in Tier 1 with Leary and Van Dyke, saving this:

"Arguably the highest ceiling of any ACC quarterback can be found at Clemson, where Uiagalelei looks to bounce back from a disappointing sophomore campaign. His nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions and ACC-worst passer rating showed what the floor can be, but after dropping significant weight and working on his mechanics this offseason, there’s a potential that he reaches those same heights we saw during his two stellar starts stepping in for Trevor Lawrence as a freshman in 2020."

As more of a “I have to see it on the field” type of guy, I wouldn’t have Uiagalelei in that tier, although it’s labeled in a way to make it palatable.

The takeaway for me is that the Clemson defense will be facing a bunch of good quarterbacks week in and week out this season in the ACC, which means the offense can afford less of the mistakes and impotency of 2021.

Uiagalelei does indeed have potential, but given the schedule and quarterbacks the Tigers are facing it’s crucial that potential is met and doesn’t just remain potential.