Author : college football/basketball writer @MattZemek, Editor at @TrojansWire .
Please Follow him follow on twitter.
Jayden Daniels, the mobile Arizona State quarterback who has considerable upside but struggled under Herm Edwards in Tempe, has reportedly chosen to enter the transfer portal. He isn’t officially in the portal (as of late Thursday night), but he intends to transfer.
One wonders what Dabo Swinney thinks about all of this at Clemson, given the rocky and bumpy nature of his 2021 season with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei fighting the yips.
Most of us thought Clemson was going to be Clemson in 2021, especially since Uiagalelei gained valuable experience in the night game at Notre Dame in 2020. Uiagalelei was able to study the game under Trevor Lawrence, and he played in some high-stress situations. It seemed likely that he would be able to smoothly slide into the starting role, since he had picked up meaningful snaps the previous year.
It did not turn out that way.
Uiagalelei struggled with his release, mechanics and reads all season. He simply wasn’t confident or self-assured. Clemson’s defense held the team together in 2021, but not enough to defend either the Atlantic Division or conference championships the program had regularly won.
One of the things Dabo Swinney failed to do last year was restock his roster in the transfer portal. Dabo’s distaste for the portal is well-known, but as Nick Saban has shown at Alabama, one has to embrace the changing tides, even if he doesn’t particularly like them. Adjusting to reality, unpleasant thought it might be, is part of being a professional, part of being a winner under any set of circumstances. If Dabo wants to stay on top, he has to make uncomfortable adjustments. It’s part of what enabled him to find success at Clemson; he was out of his depth when he took the job, but he learned to make the tough calls and grow into the job.
Now Dabo has a choice to make: Stick with D.J. Uiagalelei, consider a high-end transfer such as Daniels, or go with highly-regarded but inexperienced freshman QB Cade Klubnik.
Keep in mind: Spencer Rattler transferred to South Carolina, Clemson’s rival. J.T. Daniels, also in the portal, played for Georgia against Clemson in last season’s opener. Dabo is seeing the portal spin in ways which affect Clemson to varying degrees.
If he does stay with Uiagalelei, the pressure to get it right and fix his flaws will be immense. Failure to repair Uiagalelei’s game will invite questions about not going to the portal in search of a solution.
As we have said on previous occasions: How Dabo handles the 2022 season will be fascinating to see, regardless of the ultimate outcome.
Make sure you follow the All Sports Discussion Twitter account at @AllSportsDACC and please like our Facebook Page
Leave a Reply