An unfamiliar face will be under center for Clemson this weekend, with freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei set to replace Trevor Lawrence, who has tested positive to coronavirus.
The Tigers, who are 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll, host Boston College on Saturday, before traveling to Indiana to face No. 4 Notre Dame on November 7.
Lawrence underwent coronavirus testing on Wednesday, which puts his availability against Notre Dame in doubt as rules established by the Atlantic Coast Conference require players who test positive to COVID-19 to isolate for at least 10 days after the test before being allowed back in practice, so long as they are not showing symptoms.
"Trevor has authorized us this evening to announce that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now in isolation," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement released on Thursday night.
"He is doing well with mild symptoms but will not be available for this week's game against Boston College.
"While we certainly will miss Trevor, this is an opportunity for other guys to step up and we're excited about competing against a very good BC team on Saturday. Go Tigers."
Playing without Lawrence will be an unusual experience for Clemson, given the Heisman Trophy front-runner has never missed a game in three seasons with the Tigers—he was substituted due to injury during the first half against Syracuse in his first start in 2018.
Uiagalelei will take over the reins of Clemson's offense this weekend after seeing limited action so far this season and has never started a game for Clemson, with all his appearances coming in games in which Swinney replaced Lawrence with the Tigers firmly ahead on the scoreboard.
The 19-year-old has completed 12 of 19 passes for 102 yards and has eight carries for 32 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
The 6-5, 245-pound quarterback played high school football for powerhouse program St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California, and was named USA Today National Player of the Year in his junior year.
Uiagalelei passed for over 10,000 yards and threw for a combined 127 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during his school career and was ranked as the No. 43 recruit and the No. 1 pocket passer in the nation in ESPN's 2020 recruiting rankings.
He was also ranked 10th overall in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings and was the top-rated pro-style quarterback of his recruiting class.
Uiagalelei was the third overall prospect out of California this year behind only quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Justin Flowe, who were recruited by Alabama and Oregon respectively.
Replacing Lawrence, however, will be no easy task. Through the first six weeks of the season, Lawrence has thrown for 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns, while completing 71 percent of his passes and rushing for 143 yards and four touchdowns.
Since taking over the starting job midway through his freshman year, Lawrence has a 30-1 record—his only loss came against LSU in the College Football Playoff national championship game last season—and is widely expected to be the first overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
