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CLEMSON -- A faintly familiar pastime at Clemson, plus at plenty of other places, is to cast the new quarterback as possessing talents his predecessor did not.
In the summer of 2006, a notion took shape among some fans that Will Proctor was better than Charlie Whitehurst in part because he was a better fit for Rob Spence's offense.
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That never materialized, and a lack of downfield passing was one of the main ingredients in a late-season collapse.
ALSO SEE: THE STORY OF UIAGALELEI | THE STORY OF UIAGALELEI - Part 2 | THE STORY OF UIAGALELEI - Part 3 | Midweek Recruiting Insider | Wednesday Recruiting Nuggets | Clemson signees | Clemson's junior commitments
Even after Deshaun Watson departed having brought home the grandest trophy of all, there was some talk that Kelly Bryant was a better runner than Watson and that it might open up new elements of the Tigers' offense.
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The point of this is not to call out anyone for being wrong, or to call out anyone for being not good enough, but to underscore how much hope is attached to the new quarterback regardless of how good the guy in front of him was.
The backup quarterback is routinely that irresistible fruit that fans chase despite the educated decisions of the coaches (witness the screams for Hunter Johnson and Zerrick Cooper in 2017 when Bryant hit some rough patches).
With that traditional backdrop as the context, Clemson now walks into a certifiably unique situation with the succession of DJ Uiagalelei into the position vacated by Trevor Lawrence.
"Position" is probably underselling it. It's more like a throne presiding over an exalted lineage of quarterbacks that seems too regal for even a script.
Quite often, a full appreciation of cool and wonderful things is only achieved when those things have passed and you're looking back.
That will probably be the case in the general context of Clemson's run of high achievement under Dabo Swinney; most folks are fully enjoying it and savoring it, but there will be some who look back decades from now and wish they'd have enjoyed it more.
But the quarterback succession? Getting to see Watson, Lawrence and now Uiagalelei in such a small span of time? At one school?
This is something that you have no choice but to savor appropriately in the moment.
This, folks, is simply transcendent.
Yes, at this point you're probably noting that Lawrence brought home "only" one championship when it seemed realistic less than two years ago to think he could walk away with three.
A much less talented player (Mac Jones of Alabama) is on the verge of getting that trophy, and that leaves some sting. And that's OK.
The good news is, Clemson is in good position to get some relief from that sting in 2021 and beyond.
Because it's DJ's time. And based on the available evidence, what a time it stands to be.
Entering the season, one of the main objectives was to get the freshman some real-live playing time so he'd be ready upon Lawrence's presumed early departure.
After Uiagalelei beat out Taisun Phommachanh during August camp, it stood to reason that he was going to get plenty of mop-up duty against a diet of vastly inferior opponents.
But just when you think you have it all figured out, stuff happens. The third game against Virginia wasn't nearly as easy as forecast. And then the freshman was dinged hard on his throwing shoulder in an early appearance against Miami.
He sat the fifth game at Georgia Tech. And then when Syracuse visited, he was inserted on the final drive.
And then came COVID-16. With Lawrence out after testing positive for the virus, the staff swallowed hard and cast their lot with DJ knowing his shoulder was still injured.
As it turned out those big-stage battles between Bosco and Mater Dei steeled Uiagalelei for what he experienced against Boston College and Notre Dame.
Technically those were high school games that Uiagalelei played in during showdowns with Bryce Young. But they're essentially small college games, with the weight of everything on those quarterbacks' shoulders.
And now Uiagalelei ascends to the throne against Georgia to open the season, against former Mater Dei quarterback JT Daniels.
What does it say about Uiagalelei that you have to rack your brain trying to recall his biggest mistake in those two games this year, during which he completed 59 passes on 85 attempts for 781 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions?
Was it a few missed throws in the first half against Boston College? Was it the sack he took in overtime in South Bend, or the slight miss of Amari Rodgers in the red zone late in regulation?
Like, that's it?
If that's the best we can come up with, what a remarkable two-game stretch for the California kid.
And to think: The offensive braintrust, protective of the injured shoulder, kept his running mostly under wraps in those two games.
Uiagalelei's 439 passing yards were by far the most Notre Dame has allowed all year. More than Jones last week at Jerry World, and more than Lawrence himself a few weeks ago in Charlotte.
Lawrence is officially done, and no one is going to minimize the wonder of his presence the past three years.
But it's also hard to minimize the potential of the guy who follows in his footsteps.
The time is here.
DJ's time.
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