Clemson University’s football team has had success in previous years, winning two national titles in the last four years. The program is filled with talented players year in and year out.

The future of Clemson’s football team looks bright with freshman star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. Uiagalelei will serve as the backup to Trevor Lawrence this year, but soon he will be the program’s face.

D.J. Uiagalelei had a standout high school football career

Uiagalelei played his high school football at St. John Bosco High School in California. He saw action on the field during his sophomore season and was featured on the Netflix series’ QB1: Beyond the Lights.’ The series highlighted senior quarterback Re-al Mitchell, but Uiagalelei received the spotlight when he took over the starting quarterback position. 

Uiagalelei stepped up as a sophomore playing for one of the top teams in the country. He threw for 2,905 yards with 31 touchdowns during his sophomore year and ran for 379 with four touchdowns. He cemented his position as the starting quarterback for the rest of his high school career after an impressive sophomore season. As a junior, he led the team to a 13-1 record and threw for 3,366 yards with 48 touchdowns. Uiagalelei showed tremendous arm strength at the quarterback and knew how to make the right reads in the pocket.

His senior season was his best year of high school football. He was ranked the No. 2 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com and was the top player in California. During his senior season, he led his team to a No. 1 ranking by MaxPreps and USA Today after leading St. John Bosco to a 7A state championship game. He was named the National Offensive Player of the Year and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Uiagalelei threw for 10,496 yards with 127 touchdowns throughout his high school career.

D.J. Uiagalelei displayed true leadership qualities in high school

There’s a reason why Uiagalelei was ranked as one of the top high school players in the country. When he took over as the starting quarterback, he had the confidence and talent to lead his team to success. People quickly took notice of him and how he was able to lead his offense. 

On 247sports.com, Greg Biggins wrote about Uiagalelei. Biggins is a national recruiting analyst, and he was big on Uiagalelei in high school. Here are some things he had to say about the talented quarterback. “Has one of the strongest arms in recent memory and has won ‘long ball’ contests with a throw of 80+ yards. Is much more than a big arm. Shows great touch, accuracy to all three levels of the field and greet natural feel for throwing the football,” Biggins said.

Looking at his high school stats and seeing how many touchdown passes he threw, and there’s no doubt that he has a strong arm and possesses the precision of a highly talented quarterback.

Clemson’s future is in good hands with D.J. Uiagalelei at quarterback

The NCAA may get a chance to see Uiagalelei this season. With Trevor Lawrence at quarterback for Clemson, Uiagalelei will take a back up role during his first year. But that can certainly change in the future. He is the perfect person to lead a talented Clemson team who has had success in the past.

It will be exciting to see how the relationship between head coach Dabo Swinney and Uiagalelei develops overtime. Uiagalelei is the type of player that can compete for a Heisman Trophy during his college career, and after his career is over, he’ll most likely be playing on Sunday.