Take Two: Can Clemson lure Uiagalelei across the country?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

Take Two returns with another offering tackling a relevant topic in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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D.J. Uiagalelei is the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 class, a phenomenal five-star quarterback who finished with 3,366 yards with 48 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his junior season. He also rushed for six scores.

The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout has said Clemson and Oregon are two of his early front-runners, but he’s also mentioned LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and others in his recruitment.

Uiagalelei is planning another visit to Clemson this spring, and he will take his mother on the trip. That's always a sign that a prospect is really serious about a particular school.

Coach Dabo Swinney has made Uiagalelei a huge priority in the 2020 class. Quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter has made him a top target and was at Bosco’s game against Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei this season.

The Tigers landed five-star Trevor Lawrence in the 2018 class, and he has already helped deliver a national championship. But he was a relatively local prospect who was always high on Clemson.

Do Swinney and his staff have the recruiting chops to land a commitment from not only another No. 1 overall recruit in Uiagalelei but also one from clear across the country?

“Clemson positioned itself firmly in the mix for Uiagalelei last summer with his first campus visit for camp. Here’s believing the Tigers distanced their lead when he ventured out for their final regular season game. Then Uiagalelei was on hand for their national championship victory in Santa Clara – about a six-hour drive from his home. That has Clemson on the brink of closing it out. It just needs to check the right boxes when Uiagalelei’s mother visits later this spring.

“There are a lot of ingredients that have combined to feed Clemson’s run. Differential talent at quarterback is certainly a leading one. Scoring Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence have put the Tigers on the map, and netting Uiagalelei would be proof the Clemson brand now appeals across it.”

“Dabo can get him. Trevor Lawrence is a three-and-out kid, he has two years left, he’s a special quarterback. They’ve done a good job - even before Lawrence - of developing their quarterbacks. They’re winning national championships, so if you’re a quarterback why wouldn’t you look at Clemson?

“The Tigers could do what Georgia did. They could consistently stack up five-star quarterbacks. The difference is Clemson could space them out a little better than Georgia was able to. Uiagalelei's interest in Clemson is definitely legit, and I think the Tigers will be one of the finalists.”