Clemson coach Dabo Swinney gives first thoughts on DJ Uiagalelei rematch

Because of NCAA tampering rules, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said he’s limited in how much he can keep up with former players who transferred to other schools and are still actively playing.

That includes DJ Uiagalelei, his one-time starting quarterback who he’ll see this weekend on the opposing sideline in Tallahassee when Clemson plays Florida State.

Uiagalelei is in his first year at FSU after spending the 2023 season at Oregon State. The former five-star recruit from California previously spent three years at Clemson and two as its starting quarterback before losing his job to Cade Klubnik in the 2022 ACC championship game and entering the transfer portal two days later.

Speaking on his weekly Sunday teleconference, Swinney spoke substantially about his relationship with Uiagalelei for the first time this season.

The No. 15 Tigers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) visit Florida State (1-4, 1-3 ACC) on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium (7 p.m., ESPN).

“The way our relationship ended here was great,” Swinney said. “DJ, I love that kid. Heck, he was 22-6 here as a starter. I know we didn’t win them all, but he was 22-6.”

Uigalelei, a former five-star 2020 recruit, starred in relief of Trevor Lawrence in two games as a true freshman and was Clemson’s primary starter during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

The Tigers went 10-3 in 2021 (after a 4-3 start) and won the Cheez-It Bowl, while Clemson was 11-3 in 2022. Uiagalelei led the team to a 10-2 regular season before getting benched in the conference title game for Klubnik, who’s having a career year right now as a junior.

Swinney pointed out that, among Uiagalelei’s six losses as a starter at Clemson, two were on the road in double overtime (Notre Dame in 2020, NC State in 2021); one was because of a pick six (Georgia in 2021); and another was by just one point at home (South Carolina in 2022).

“So he’s four plays away from being 26-2 instead of 22-6,” Swinney said. “He did a lot of great things for us. He’s a graduate, I’ll always be thankful for that young man. He’s one of the best young kids I’ve ever worked with. ... There wasn’t ever a day i didn’t enjoy being around DJ.”

A familiar face on the sidelines

Uiagalelei initially transferred to Oregon State and played the 2023 season there before transferring to FSU (at that point, the reigning undefeated ACC champion) last December. That immediately put the 2024 Clemson-FSU matchup in Tallahassee on the radar for both fan bases.

Florida State was named the preseason ACC champion for 2024 over Clemson but enters this weekend 1-4 and 1-3 in the ACC — a historically bad start for a team with their preseason AP ranking (No. 10).

Uiagalelei, 23, has struggled and has four touchdowns against six interceptions in five games. His QB rating of 34.4 ranks 110th nationally, per ESPN. For comparison’s sake, Klubnik has 12 touchdowns to two interceptions as a passer and a QBR of 89.1, the fourth best nationally.

Uiagalelei has faced boos from his home crowd and calls to be benched, but Swinney said the Seminoles have had “a lot of missed opportunities” and remain dangerous.

“Everything can go on the quarterback, but it’s not all on him,” Swinney said. “They’ve had a couple close games and close losses, missed opportunities, drops. ... We all know what he’s capable of doing — and not just him. FSU is a talented roster.”

Swinney said it’s “unfortunate” he can’t keep in touch with Clemson transfers such as Uiagalelei while they’re still playing because of NCAA rules.

But he’s looking forward to seeing him on Saturday in Tallahassee in the Tigers’ first true road game of the 2024 season.

Clemson’s coming off a 40-14 conference home win against Stanford at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Florida State lost 42-16 at SMU on Saturday, falling to 1-3 in conference play.

“It’ll be good to see him,” Swinney said. “Again, he’s a Clemson graduate and gave everything he had when he was here with us. ... I’ll always be thankful for him.”

Next Clemson football game

• Who: Clemson (3-1, 2-0 ACC) at Florida State (1-4, 1-3 ACC)

• When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5

• Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

• TV: ESPN

• Line: Clemson by 14 points