Trevor Lawrence is very familiar with DJ Uiagalelei, having played with one another at Clemson in 2020 before Lawrence moved on to the NFL and Uiagalelei took over as the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

A former five-star recruit, Uiagalelei stepped in as Lawrence’s successor in 2021 after a couple of strong spot starts as a true freshman the year before, but Uiagalelei struggled to recapture that form. After completing just 55% of his passes with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9) as a sophomore, and after a fast start as a junior this past season, Uiagalelei was benched three times over his final six games – the last being the ACC Championship Game vs. North Carolina.

True freshman Cade Klubnik was named the starter for the Orange Bowl following an MVP performance in relief of Uiagalelei against the Tar Heels, and Uiagalelei ultimately transferred to Oregon State.

During an interview on The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio this week, Lawrence spoke about how things turned out with Uiagalelei at Clemson and had a message for him as he gets set to start the next chapter of his career in Corvallis with the Beavers.

“I know DJ pretty well. I played with him for a full year at Clemson. I really enjoyed being around him. I think he’s a really good person. I think he’s a great player, too,” Lawrence said. “So, obviously it’s disappointing I think for both parties – Clemson and for DJ, for it not to work out. But sometimes that’s just the way it goes.”

Lawrence used former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts, now an NFC champion with the Philadelphia Eagles, as an example of a transfer player who went through adversity to get where he is now in the NFL having a lot of success.

“You look at a lot of guys who are in the league now, even Jalen Hurts is a perfect example, who had some struggles … went to Oklahoma and took off, and then now he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league, he’s having a great year and they’re in the Super Bowl,” Lawrence said.

“So, I think that’s the main message is just no matter what’s happened, you still have everything in front of you, you still have an opportunity, and I think that’s what DJ’s looking forward to is just getting that chance to get a fresh start. I think it’ll be good for him, and I’m excited to watch him.”

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
“Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives need your support to help provide meaningful NIL opportunities for our student athletes. We are doing things the right way, the Clemson way with integrity as a non-negotiable and we fully support the mission of these groups.”

Join the Tiger Club or Lady Tiger Club to help these great student-athletes and help the Tigers compete at the highest level!