DJ Uiagalelei Wanting to Play Baseball Should Worry Clemson Football Fans
By Parker White
Not only do the Clemson Tigers currently have Trevor Lawrence under center right now, but in 2020 they have the top quarterback recruit in DJ Uiagalelei coming to Death Valley.
Clemson has become a quarterback pipeline for the NFL, but Tiger football fans should worry a little bit, as Uiagalelei wants to enroll at Clemson early so he can play baseball next spring.
In this column from @PeteThamel, D.J. Uiagalelei, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the 2020 class and Clemson commit for baseball/football, says he plans to graduate high school early and play baseball at Clemson this spring https://t.co/klCwX8Ib0A
— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) July 12, 2019
Just because he's playing two sports, it doesn't mean that he's done with football and won't thrive under Dabo Swinney. However, you have to wonder why he's hellbent on arriving early to begin his college baseball career?
Uiagalelei does have promise as a pitcher.
D.J. Uiagalelei didn't play much baseball this spring, but I'm told he was up to 93 mph when he did pitch. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 235 ?
— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) July 12, 2019
If we learned anything about Kyler Murray, who was a top-10 pick in the MLB Draft and was then selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, it's more likely that Uiagalelei will stick with football. But, even as a quarterback, football is still more dangerous than baseball.
Uiagalelei is giving himself multiple options, which you have to give him props for. Despite the talent, who knows how he'll fare in either sport, so if he fails or suffers an injury in one, he has a backup plan in place.
Nobody thinks a player will choose baseball over football until it happens. Uiagalelei could be that highly-touted football prospect who finally chooses the mound over tossing the pigskin around.