DJ Uiagalelei

The college football transfer portal will feature several big names as top players look to get a fresh start in 2023.

Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is among the long list of veteran passers hoping to change teams this offseason, with Drew Pyne, Kedon Slovis, Devin Leary and others already registering significant experience at the college level.

Here are the biggest names already in the transfer portal.

• DJ Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson
• Drew Pyne, QB, Notre Dame
  
• Kedon Slovis, QB, Pittsburgh
  
• Devin Leary, QB, North Carolina State
• Hudson Card, QB, Texas
• Graham Mertz, QB, Wisconsin
• Mason Cobb, LB, Oklahoma State
• Brennan Armstrong, QB, Virginia
• Jeff Sims, QB, Georgia Tech
• Fentrell Cypress II, CB, Virginia
• Dasan McCullough, LB, Indiana
• Denver Harris, CB, Texas A&M
  
• Javion Cohen, OG, Alabama
• JQ Hardaway, CB, Cincinnati
• Haynes King, QB, Texas A&M
• Hank Bachmeier, QB, Boise State
• Theo Wease, WR, Oklahoma
  
• Dorian Singer, WR, Arizona
• L.J. Johnson, RB, Texas A&M
• Justin Flowe, LB, Oregon
• Spencer Sanders, QB, Oklahoma (per, Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com)

The number of big-name quarterbacks will especially create a ripple effect throughout college football, depending on where they land. We have seen several elite players make an impact after changing teams in recent years, including USC star Caleb Williams after transferring from Oklahoma.

Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield all won the Heisman Trophy with their second college teams, while Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields also had huge seasons after transferring.

Uiagalelei will try to be next in line as a former 5-star recruit who was considered the No. 1 quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports composite rankings. Despite some up-and-down play for Clemson, he still threw 22 touchdown passes this year and has plenty of upside in a new location.

Leary also should be highly sought-after in the transfer portal.

The North Carolina State quarterback had 35 touchdowns with only five interceptions in 2021, although his 2022 season was cut short due to a torn pectoral. If he returns to full strength, he could be a difference-maker in 2023.

Notre Dame's Drew Pyne has experience leading an elite team and could be an instant starter for a championship contender next season.

Other high-upside players could be seeking a fresh start after falling behind on the depth chart at their previous spots, including Hudson Card. The former 4-star recruit couldn't pass Quinn Ewers at Texas, but he could be a starter for a lot of teams at the FBS level.

Kedon Slovis will move to a third team after struggling the past few years with USC and Pittsburgh, but with 68 career touchdown passes, there will be options in the transfer portal.

For the first time since Nov. 12, 2016, the Clemson Tigers have lost at home.

The unranked South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the No. 8 Tigers 31-30 on Saturday at Clemson Memorial Stadium to put an end to the team's 40-game home win streak, which is an ACC record.

Aside from the rushing performance by running back Will Shipley, who posted 15 carries for 132 yards and one touchdown, the Clemson offense was wildly disappointing against South Carolina.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei completed just eight of 29 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown against one interception in the loss. His performance was unacceptable, and now the Tigers have been knocked out of College Football Playoff contention.

College football fans ripped Clemson for the loss, which dropped it to 10-2, on Twitter, and understandably so:

Saturday's win marked South Carolina's second upset victory over a Top 10 opponent after the Gamecocks took down Tennessee last weekend.

With Clemson out of CFP contention, Dabo Swinney will have a lot to figure out moving forward, including whether or not he wants to stick with Uiagalelei as his starting quarterback in 2023.

This year's College Football Playoff is shaping up to be very exciting with a fresh mix of teams.

Dabo Swinney attempted to shoot down any notion of a quarterback controversy after DJ Uiagalelei was benched in the third quarter of Clemson's 27-21 comeback victory over Syracuse on Saturday.

Speaking to ESPN after the game, Swinney said "ain't no question" Uiagalelei will remain the Tigers' starter.

True freshman Cade Klubnik replaced Uiagalelei with Clemson trailing 21-10. The Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to escape with a win and remain undefeated.

Uiagalelei entered the day as a potential down-ballot Heisman contender. He threw for 1,665 yards and completed 64 percent of his passes while running for 337 yards and accounting for 21 touchdowns with two interceptions in the first seven games.

The junior quarterback matched his interception total for the season in three quarters against Syracuse's defense. He completed 13 of 21 attempts for 138 yards with no touchdowns before he was benched.

Even though Clemson's offense came to life in the fourth quarter, Klubnik didn't set the world on fire under center. The 19-year-old went 2-of-4 for 19 yards through the air and had 13 rushing yards on eight attempts.

The rushing attack, led by Phil Mafah and Will Shipley, led the Tigers' comeback. They combined for 135 rushing yards on Klubnik's first three drives.

Clemson was also aided by penalties from Syracuse's defense. Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff was flagged for a personal foul after a 10-yard run from Klubnik on a 3rd-and-25 play that helped set up a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-16.

Isaiah Johnson was called for pass interference on 3rd-and-11 with 2:58 remaining to give the Tigers a first down. They finished the drive with a field goal to extend their lead to 27-21 with 93 seconds left to play.

Based on how high Uiagalelei's ceiling is and how well he played heading into Saturday, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him remain the starter.

Swinney does have extra time to make decisions about his starting quarterback. Clemson has two weeks before it takes on Notre Dame in South Bend on Nov. 5.

Despite the benching of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in favor of true freshman Cade Klubnik, the No. 5 Clemson Tigers remained undefeated with a 27-21 win over the No. 14 Syracuse Orange at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, on Saturday.

With Uiagalelei at the controls, Clemson turned the ball over four times and trailed 21-10 through three quarters of play, which sparked the quarterback change.

Uiagalelei was directly responsible for three of those turnovers, including one that put Syracuse firmly in control of the game in the second quarter.

In addition to throwing a pair of interceptions, Uiagalelei fumbled the ball while the Tigers were going in for a score, and Syracuse defensive back Ja'Had Carter returned it 90 yards for a touchdown:

That put the Orange ahead 14-7 and represented a 14-point swing, and the Tigers went into the locker room at halftime trailing 21-10.

When Clemson couldn't close the gap in the third quarter and Uiagalelei threw his second interception of the day, head coach Dabo Swinney decided to replace him with Klubnik, who was rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class.

Amid his struggles and after getting benched, Uiagalelei was the subject of a ton of criticism from observers on social media:

Klubnik didn't do anything spectacular with 19 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions on 2-of-4 passing, but he seemed to give the Tigers new life when they needed it most, and he came through with a big two-point conversion after Clemson's go-ahead touchdown by running back Will Shipley.

From the time Klubnik took over for Uiagalelei through the end of the game, the Tigers scored 17 unanswered points, which allowed them to hand the Orange their first loss of the season.

Now, the question becomes whether Swinney will stick with Klubnik going forward or go back to Uiagalelei in the next game despite how poorly he played against Syracuse.

During his postgame interview with ABC, Swinney insisted that Uiagalelei is "our guy" and "our quarterback," but he will have some time to make a final decision, as Clemson is on the bye next week before returning for a road game against Notre Dame on Nov. 5.

DJ Uiagalelei's five passing touchdowns allowed No. 5 Clemson to survive No. 21 Wake Forest's upset bid Saturday.

The Tigers held on for a 51-45 double-overtime victory over their ACC rival thanks to Davis Allen's 21-yard touchdown catch from Uiagalelei to start the extra frame.

Wake Forest got the ball last with an opportunity to win the game, but the offense only managed to gain four yards, and Sam Hartman's pass to A.T. Perry on fourth-and-6 was incomplete.

Despite being ranked No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, Clemson had a lot to prove this season.

Uiagalelei, in particular, was going to be under the microscope after a disappointing sophomore campaign in 2021 when he had more interceptions (10) than passing touchdowns (nine). The California native arrived at Clemson with a lot of hype as a 5-star prospect and top-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Through four games, it certainly looks like Uiagalelei has taken a huge step forward. His five touchdowns Saturday gave him 10 for the season. He went 26-of-41 for 371 yards against Wake. The 21-year-old has only thrown one interception on 129 attempts so far.

The Tigers defense did get challenged in its first major test of the season. Clemson allowed 447 yards of offense to Wake Forest. Hartman was terrific in the loss, completing 20 of 29 attempts for 337 yards with six scores and no interceptions.

The Demon Deacons put up 21 points in the third quarter and took a 38-35 lead with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter on Matthew Dennis' 29-yard field goal.

Antonio Williams set his team up with good field position thanks to a 26-yard kickoff return that got the Tigers out to their own 48-yard line. Their drive stalled after seven plays, but B.T. Potter drilled a 52-yard field goal to tie the score.

After trading touchdowns in the first overtime period, Uiagalelei hit Allen on 3rd-and-6 from Wake's 21-yard line for the game-winning score.

The loss drops Wake Forest to 3-1 on the season, but head coach Dave Clawson's squad continues to play well coming off an 11-win campaign in 2021.

Clemson is off to a 4-0 start with possibly its most difficult regular-season opponent looming. Head coach Dabo Swinney's squad will host No. 12 North Carolina State on Oct. 1. No. 25 Miami is the only other currently ranked team still on the schedule (Nov. 19).