Clemson's Lannden Zanders Unhurt After Family Home Burns in Fire Pit Accident
Oct 28, 2021
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 12: A general view of the Clemson Tigers Helmet before the Head Coaches Press Conference before the College Football Playoff National Championship at the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel on January 12, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Clemson defensive back Lannden Zanders is unhurt after a fire burned his family home in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Per Todd Shanesy of the Greenville News, the house caught fire after Zanders built a fire pit in the backyard and later went to bed.
Lannden's dad, Lindell Zanders, told Shanesy about the experience of getting a phone call from his son around 4:25 a.m. on Sunday morning.
"Lannden was crying hysterically," Lindell said. "He was like, 'Daddy, the house is on fire. The house is burning down.' ... He said he went in the house and went to bed. When he woke up, the fire department was already there. He said his fan cut off and he opened his eyes and saw flames and smoke."
Shanesey noted the fire department turned off the power to the house as they were trying to combat the fire, which caused the fan to turn off.
Images show that most of the house burned in the fire. The entire roof appears to have been lost.
Lindell was able to joke about the situation, saying the fire gave the house an "open roof concept." He added that the most important thing was his son came out of this whole thing unharmed.
"People say, ‘How are you smiling? I tell them it’s because my son is alive," Lindell said. "All this material stuff doesn’t matter to me. My boys are the reason I live. They are everything."
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney addressed the situation during his Monday press conference.
"We’re lucky we didn’t lose him," Swinney told reporters about Zanders.
Zanders didn't travel with Clemson last week for its game against Pittsburgh because of an injury. He is in his junior season with the Tigers and has appeared in one game this season.
DJ Uiagalelei's Status as Clemson Starting QB Up in Air, Dabo Swinney Says
Oct 24, 2021
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 23: D.J. Uiagalelei #5 of the Clemson Tigers drops back to pass in the first quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on October 23, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was benched in Saturday's loss to Pitt. After the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he needs to reevaluate his team, and he indicated that Uiagalelei's starting job is in jeopardy.
"Everything's under evaluation at this point," Swinney told reporters. "Everybody's got to show up every day and we've got to take it one day at a time. We'll practice and see who has the best practice and that's the guy who'll run out there first at every position."
Prior to being benched, Uiagalelei threw two interceptions. His second pick in particular was ugly, as he tossed an ill-advised shovel pass that led to a Pitt touchdown.
"I thought he made a couple bad plays in a row," Swinney said of Uiagalelei. "I just felt like I needed to give [backup] Taisun [Phommachanh] a chance."
Phommachanh led Clemson on a scoring drive, but Swinney decided to go back to Uiagalelei late. He returned to the game and led a scoring drive, which Swinney praised as a good response to the benching. But it wasn't enough as the Tigers fell to 4-3.
Uiagalelei, a former top recruit at the quarterback position, said after the game that he's prepared to prove that he's deserving of his role as the team's starter.
"You've got to go earn it every week," Uiagalelei said. "That's my mindset since I was little. If it wasn't me next week, I'll be right here and I'll be happy to see my brother Taisun."
Swinney was asked if he plans to make changes on his coaching staff, and he said, "Absolutely not. We have a great staff that I believe in wholeheartedly."
After a run of success over the past six years that included two national championships and four appearances in the title game, Swinney knows the Clemson fanbase is not happy with the team's performance this year. But he has faith that the Tigers will be able to turn things around.
"They have every right to be disappointed. I'm disappointed. Everybody's disappointed. I'm sick to my stomach. But I know what we're made of, and we'll grow through it and get back to winning some ballgames."
Clemson will look to bounce back at home next Saturday against Florida State.
After Loss to Pittsburgh, Is This the Beginning of the End of Clemson's Dynasty?
Oct 24, 2021
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney wipes his head as he watches as his team play against Pittsburgh in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 27-17. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
The dynasty isn't necessarily dead. Let's get that out of the way right now.
This isn't one of those stories.
Even great programs on historic runs are entitled to a mulligan every now and then. But Clemson's dramatic fall this season could very well be a sign of further struggles to come, and the days of the Tigers' dominance feel largely behind them. At least in the moment.
If this is a mulligan, it's a major one. There is no possible way to sugarcoat just how disappointing Clemson has been relative to expectations this fall.
And it's not just one bad week or one bad month. It's been a constant throughout the year.
The issues that have plagued Clemson all season long were all on display against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The offense couldn't muster up enough points or long drives. Mistakes and drops were once again a prevalent theme. And the defense, which has kept this season afloat, finally broke against a quality offense and a potential Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
Kenny Pickett looked in complete control against Clemson, elevating his Heisman resume with another 300-yard passing game, two more touchdowns and zero interceptions. His brilliance should not be lost amid the shock of seeing Clemson lose its third game before November hits.
The final score, 27-17, tells a story. Final scores can often lie, though this one does not.
The Clemson defense was good for a while. The offense really wasn't. The only difference, however, is the Tigers have not looked this broken in years.
They also haven't spent much time looking like the inferior team on the field, which they most certainly were on Saturday.
For some perspective, the Tigers lost seven games total over the six years leading up this season. Dabo Swinney's team actually outpaced Alabama's dominance for some time, winning at a rate known only by the team in Tuscaloosa. They won two national titles over Nick Saban's team and lost another.
This was—and maybe still is depending on how quickly you're ready to punt on dominance—the team every college football program in the nation strove to be.
But now? It's a middling team in the Atlantic Division of the ACC.
Clemson has three losses against a schedule most laughed at, outside of the opening game against Georgia, before the season began.
And it could've been worse. The only team Clemson has beaten by more than a touchdown is South Carolina State. The Tigers played nail-biters against Syracuse, Boston College and Georgia Tech, winning all three games by a combined 15 points.
The loss against Pitt wasn't a surprise. It was a fitting next chapter given how this season has unfolded.
Perhaps, in some ways, the expectations were too much.
After losing quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne to the NFL, some regression was assumed. But the glimpses of quarterback DJ Uiagalelei last year were so superb, we expected him to naturally grab the baton, as Clemson quarterbacks have done for the better part of a decade, and be immediately dominant.
That's what Uiagalelei was against Notre Dame last year when Lawrence couldn't play, throwing for 439 yards in a loss. This season, Uiagalelei has thrown for more than 200 yards only once in a game. He's thrown for two touchdowns only once as well.
On Saturday, Uiagalelei was benched after his shovel pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown. Taisun Phommachanh replaced him, though he returned to the game later on.
A player with unbelievable physical gifts has been largely off all year, and it's hard to know exactly why that is the case and when, if ever, he will blossom into the player we thought he would become.
That has been a major issue, though there's blame to go around. Injuries have not been kind to Clemson, and that can't simply be a footnote in a long season. Both sides of the ball have been severely impacted.
This roster, so we thought, could overcome injuries and departures to the NFL no matter how pronounced. The coaching staff, outside of the loss of former co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott, has remained intact. The continuity that built this team and dynasty remains largely in place. And yet, this football team is a shell of what we're accustomed to.
The 2021 season is lost. In fact, it was lost when the Tigers lost to NC State weeks ago.
The question now isn't what this team will look like come December. At this point, we know. Instead, one can't help but wonder if this will carry over to next fall.
At the moment, it's impossible to say. The roster is still largely compiled of some of the best athletes in America. The conference will likely be without a dominant team moving forward—unless that team is Clemson.
But winning at the level that the Tigers did for such a prolonged period of time is not easy, no matter how easy this program made it look. Doing so requires the perfect pieces, which Clemson has put together before this year.
Those pieces are currently missing. Something is missing.
At the very least, they haven't come together like they have in the past. While it's possible Clemson could regain momentum once the season ends, it's also possible that Swinney's program will never be what it was.
It's hard to know exactly when the brilliance disappears. There's no guidebook to this part. It just, well, does. It doesn't happen in one game or even one season. It just fades.
It certainly demands a sample size of more than seven games, as catchy as it is to declare otherwise. And yet, one can't help but see the quality suffer as much as it has and the losses mount as quickly as they have and wonder if the best is behind us.
Dabo Swinney Downplays LSU Buzz: Clemson Is 'Only Death Valley I'm Concerned About'
Oct 19, 2021
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney looks at his play card during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Boston College Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.)
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney isn't concerned about the possibility that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward could pursue him to replace Ed Orgeron.
"I'm a big time, coach? Wow! I made a big-time list? Wow," Swinney joked Tuesday, per The Athletic. "Yeah, this is the only Death Valley I'm concerned about right here. That's for sure."
Swinney has been speculated to be a potential LSU head-coaching candidate, with Orgeron and the Tigers agreeing to part ways following the 2021 season.
Woodward has made some pretty impressive moves in his tenure as an athletic director. He pried Jimbo Fisher from Florida State to Texas A&M and also lured Chris Peterson from Boise State while at Washington.
It's hard to imagine Swinney wanting to leave Clemson, though. The 51-year-old is 144-35 since taking over as head coach of the Tigers in 2008. He has also won two national championships
Swinney has also been linked to being Nick Saban's successor at Alabama, even though Saban recently extended his contract through 2028. Swinney graduated from Alabama and was an assistant under former head coach Gene Stallings. However, he has frequently denied any significant interest in leaving Clemson.
Clemson is 4-2 this season following a season-opening loss to Georgia. The Tigers haven't lost more than two games in a season since 2014.
Clemson made Swinney college football's highest-paid coach (at the time) in 2019, giving him a 10-year, $93 million contract. The deal runs through 2028-29.
Orgeron and the Tigers agreed to part ways following a disappointing 4-3 start to the 2021 season. The post-Joe Burrow era has been especially rough for LSU with the Tigers going 5-5 in 2020 and 9-8 overall after winning the national championship in 2019.
Before 2020, LSU hadn't lost five games in a season since 2014 when Les Miles was head coach. Orgeron is the fourth-winningest coach in LSU history, and his 74.2 winning percentage ranks among the top five in school history.
In addition to Swinney, Fisher and Lousiana's Billy Napier have denied interest in LSU's head coaching job. However, that could change once the 2021 campaign is over.
Dabo Swinney on Clemson's 2-2 Start After NC State Upset: 'We've Got to Own It'
Sep 26, 2021
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, right, speaks with officials during the second half of an NCAA college football game against North Carolina State in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said his team has to hold itself accountable after a stunning 27-21 double-overtime loss to North Carolina State on Saturday night.
"We've got to own it," coach Dabo Swinney said, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "It's where we are right now. We need to get back to work on Monday, continue to learn, continue to grow, continue to fight, and continue to stay together. Let's just find a way to win a game, find a way to get on track and see if we can build some momentum in our season."
The upset loss dropped the ninth-ranked Tigers to 2-2 on the year and has potentially knocked them out of the College Football Playoff race. Their first defeat was a 10-3 loss to No. 2 Georgia in the season opener, but the struggles on display against the Wolfpack are much more concerning.
Sophomore quarterback DJ Uiagalelei had another rough game on Saturday, completing 12-of-26 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He's been a letdown for the Tigers this season after impressing in fill-in duty for Trevor Lawrence as a true freshman. Running backs Will Shipley and Kobe Pryor also failed to gain traction against the Wolfpack, combining for just 41 rushing yards.
It’s my duty as an unbiased local reporter, to share that Clemson has dropped their first game against an unranked team since 2017. Clemson is now (2-2) on the year and will most likely drop out of the top 10.
Swinney didn't shy away from criticism of the offense.
"With the way we've performed, you're going to get criticism and you're going to get comments. It comes with the territory because the expectation and the standard at Clemson—we're not meeting it," he said, per Adelson.
Despite the inconsistency on offense, the Tigers still had a chance to win this game on the road. The defense has been excellent this season, holding the team's first three opponents to 10 points or fewer. NC State managed 386 total yards, but according to NCAA.com, their 4.0 average yards per play was lower than Clemson's 4.4 yards per play.
A run at the College Football Playoff is all but over—as Adelson notes, no two-loss team has ever made the playoff—but the Tigers can still challenge for an ACC title if they can find balance on both sides of the ball.
No. 9 Clemson Upset by Unranked NC State in 2OT as Tigers Fall to 2-2
Sep 25, 2021
North Carolina State's Cory Durden (48) grabs a hold of Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei (5) for a sack during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
Clemson's hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff may be extinguished after four games.
The ninth-ranked Tigers suffered a 27-21 defeat to North Carolina State on Saturday to fall to 2-2.
Will Shipley tied the game at 14 points apiece on a five-yard run with 10:52 left in the game. Christopher Dunn missed a 51-yard field goal on North Carolina State's next drive.
Dunn was also off the mark on a 53-yarder as the first half drew to a close. Fate provided the junior with an opportunity for redemption as the seconds ticked off the clock in regulation. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, he pulled his third attempt to the left once again to set the stage for overtime.
Justyn Ross drew first blood for Clemson with a nine-yard touchdown reception in the first overtime period. Devin Leary kept NC State alive by hitting a wide-open Thayer Thomas for a score.
On the second play of the second overtime frame, Devin Carter somehow got a knee down as he hauled in a pass from Leary in the corner of the end zone.
Devin Carter OH MY GOODNESS!! Pack back on top in 2OT!@PackFootball | @__d1c
North Carolina State failed to convert its two-point attempt but still put the pressure squarely on Clemson to get a touchdown. On 4th-and-5, Ross appeared to lose track of a D.J. Uiagalelei pass on a fade route, and the ball fell to the turf.
Once again, Clemson's offense failed to fire.
Following his encouraging cameo in place of Trevor Lawrence as a freshman, the belief was that Uiagalelei would hit the ground running as the full-time starter. Instead, the sophomore quarterback struggled again. He finished 12-of-26 for 111 yards, two touchdowns and one interception through the air. He also ran for 63 yards on nine carries.
A collective step backward was to be expected for Clemson after it lost not only Lawrence but also its leading rusher (Travis Etienne Jr.) and leading receiver (Amari Rodgers). But Uiagalelei seemed to check off all of the boxes to be an elite signal-caller.
The Tigers' inability to move the ball put a significant strain on a defense that saw both James Skalski and Bryan Bresee get injured. North Carolina State finished with a 41:48-18:12 edge in time of possession.
The Wolfpack also outgained the Tigers 386-214. NC State was in the driver's seat for most of the game.
Clemson missed out on the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014 but proceeded to make six straight semifinals. The program has become almost too big to fail, both because of the blue-chip recruits it regularly attracts and the lack of serious competition it gets from the ACC.
Now, Dabo Swinney and his players will have to adjust expectations.
The path to a New Year's Six bowl game is still wide open for the Tigers. Barring the collapse of multiple other contenders, a national championship is probably out of the question, however.
No. 5 Georgia Upsets DJ Uiagalelei, No. 3 Clemson 10-3 behind 7 Sacks on Defense
Sep 5, 2021
CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 04: Christopher Smith (29) defensive back of Georgia on his way to score a touchdown after making an interception during the Duke's Mayo Classic college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tiger on September 4, 2012, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
No. 5 Georgia opened the 2021 season with a 10-3 win over No. 3 Clemson on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Georgia's dominant defense produced seven sacks and the game's only touchdown courtesy of a Christopher Smith 74-yard pick-six:
Georgia took a 7-0 lead into halftime and led 10-0 entering the fourth quarter.
Clemson's offense struggled all night, amassing just 180 total yards. However, the Tigers got something going in the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 82-yard drive that ended with a B.T. Potter 22-yard field goal.
The Tigers got the ball back after a three-and-out, but their drive stalled at the Georgia 45-yard line after a 4th-and-5 pass fell incomplete. The Bulldogs ran out the clock in response.
The victory marked the Bulldogs' first win over a Top Five team since defeating No. 2 Oklahoma 54-48 in double overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff semifinals.
Clemson lost in the regular season for just the second time in four seasons. The Tigers fell to No. 4 Notre Dame 47-40 last year before getting revenge on the Fighting Irish with a 34-10 win in the ACC Championship Game.
Clemson never crossed its own 23-yard line in the first quarter, which featured two Georgia sacks and a massive yardage differential, per Seth Emerson of The Athletic.
The Tigers got as far as the Georgia 30-yard line in the second quarter before their drive ended in the Smith pick-six.
Georgia ramped up the pressure in the third quarter with four sacks. Travon Walker ended any faint hope Clemson had of converting a 3rd-and-14 deep in its own territory with this sack:
Six of Georgia's sacks came on third down, shutting down a Clemson passing attack that faltered outside of wide receiver Joseph Ngata's performance (six catches, 110 yards).
No other Clemson receiver had more than 26 yards, and Lyn-J Dixon led the team with just 10 rushing yards.
As for the Bulldogs, Nakobe Dean led the way with two sacks. Adam Anderson, Walker, Smith, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter had the rest.
That group looks like it will be a dominant, overwhelming, game-changing force all season. It's also possible that Georgia may not face a tougher opponent than Clemson all year, as there isn't a current Top 10 team on its regular-season schedule.
Therefore, an SEC Championship Game showdown against defending national champion Alabama might be inevitable if the Bulldogs defense is going to simply crush opponents on a weekly basis.
There's a long way to go until December, but Georgia's defense has the Bulldogs in position to be a legitimate national title contender.
Christopher Smith Changes the Game
The Georgia defensive back couldn't have chosen a much better time to make his first career interception.
Smith jumped wide receiver Justyn Ross' route, stepping in front of a DJ Uiagalelei pass that would have gone for a first down if completed.
That wasn't the case, and the race was on between Smith and Uiagalelei. Smith won that battle, outlasting the Clemson signal-caller before finding paydirt.
"He threw it right to me, and the rest was history," Smith said postgame, per Brandon Sudge of the Telegraph.
Per Sudge, Smith also noted that the Bulldogs worked on the disguise used to bait Uiagalelei all week during practice.
It wasn't easy for the Bulldogs to find an edge at first, but it worked out in the end:
Christopher Smith: 💬 Early in the week we struggled looking for their tendencies. But as the week goes on we got better.
Credit goes to the relentless Bulldogs pressure too, as Emerson noted:
Big assist to the pressure that forced a bad throw from Uiagalelei. Georgia has been blitzing from all over the field, it paid off in a huge way there. https://t.co/xQuYzdBKPS
In the end, however, Smith made the big play, and now Georgia has started its season with a massive wave of momentum in hopes of winning its first national title since 1980.
What's Next?
Both teams will play home games Saturday.
Clemson will host South Carolina State in Memorial Stadium at 5 p.m. ET, and Georgia will welcome UAB into Athens' Sanford Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET.
After a lackluster Week Zero slate that featured no top-25 teams and just three Power Five schools—though calling Nebraska that right now might be a stretch—the college football season begins in earnest starting on Thursday...
Preseason College Football Rankings 2021: Predictions for Initial AP NCAA Top 25
Aug 16, 2021
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney yells during the first half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game against Ohio State Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
As college football enters the final two-week homestretch before the regular season kicks off, things look a little different than they did a year ago at this time.
When last year's Associated Press Top 25 poll dropped on August 24, the Pac-12 and Big Ten had they would be postponing their football seasons until the end of the calendar year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the recency of the leagues' decisions at that point, all conferences were included in the ranking before Pac-12 and Big Ten schools were dropped the following week.
This year, no such disclaimers should be needed.
The AP Poll and Coaches Poll both had the same preseason Top Four rankings last year—Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia—and they both had Notre Dame No. 10 and Texas A&M at No. 13. The latter two finished Nos. 4 and 5 in the final College Football Playoff poll last year, while Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State finished 1-3. This year's coaches' poll, which was released last week, featured the Crimson Tide at No. 1, with Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia rounding out the top five.
Predicted AP Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Texas A&M
8. Cincinnati
9. North Carolina
10. Iowa State
11. Florida
12. Oregon
13. Miami (Fla.)
14. USC
15. Wisconsin
16. LSU
17. Indiana
18. Iowa
19. Washington
20. Texas
21. Penn State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Ole Miss
24. Coastal Carolina
25. Liberty
Alabama, Clemson will top poll
It's never smart to bet against the Crimson Tide, and even though Alabama will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, it's almost certain to be the preseason No. 1. Sophomore Bryce Young has only attempted 22 passes in college, all as Mac Jones' backup last season. He was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2020 class and is considered a potential Heisman candidate if he lives up to the reputation Jones and Tua Tagovailoa built.
Alabama returns eight starters on defense but just three on offense. That's what tends to happen when you have one of the greatest offensive units in college football history, and if anyone has the depth and talent to replace that production, it's the Tide.
Clemson will be start a new starting quarterback after Trevor Lawrence went first overall in the 2021 NFL draft, and like Alabama, the Tigers have a star quarterback from the 2020 class to replace him.
D.J. Uiagalelei, who threw 117 passes last season in relief of Lawrence, gets five other offensive starters back, and the defense returns all 11 starters from a unit that was among the best in the country last year.
Neither Clemson nor Alabama returns quite the depth it normally does, but considering at least one of the two has played in every national championship game since 2016, who is going to count them out?
Michigan on the outside
One of the most storied programs in college football history could find itself outside the preseason poll for the first time since 2015. No, not Texas, which last missed the Top 25 that year. The Longhorns, whether deserving or not, will likely find themselves in the poll yet again.
But Michigan, which finished just 2-4 last season, will not. Jim Harbaugh's program has been on a downward trend recently, and returning just three of 11 starters on offense doesn't inspire a lot of confidence that's going to change this season. The Wolverines will have nine back on defense, but they'll also be starting a new running back and are in the middle of a three-way quarterback competition.
The good news is that Michigan's non-conference schedule isn't particularly daunting, though it is expected to face four Top 25 teams in the Big Ten this season.
Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei Partners with Dr. Pepper for 'Fansville' Ad Campaign
Aug 11, 2021
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (5) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Clemson, S.C. (Josh Morgan/Pool Photo via AP)
As he prepares to take over as Clemson's starting quarterback, D.J. Uiagalelei is going to be part of a prominent national marketing campaign for college football this season.
Uiagalelei and Dr. Pepper announced Wednesday that they have partnered together for the "Fansville" ad campaign.
Speaking to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Uiagalelei talked about why he decided to work with Dr. Pepper.
"I wanted to do brands that are authentic to me," he said. "I don't want to be one of these people that do all these different brands. I can have a long-standing partnership with Dr. Pepper. They go hand in hand with college football."
This marks the second known sponsorship deal that Uiagalelei has signed since the NCAA rule changes that allow players to profit off their names, images and likenesses went into effect July 1.
The Tigers star previously signed a partnership agreement with North Carolina-based fast-food fried-chicken restaurant Bojangles.
Adelson noted Uiagalelei will be the only active college football player featured in the Fansville commercials this year.
Dr. Pepper launched the Fansville campaign in 2018 as a series of ads that parody sports television shows and movies. It features a long-standing rivalry in an unnamed town between "State" and "Tech" schools.
According to Adelson, Uiagalelei has already filmed the commercial. It's unclear when the spots will start to air, but the 2021 college football season is scheduled to begin Aug. 28.
A 5-star prospect and the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, Uiagalelei saw significant playing time as a true freshman. He started two games when Trevor Lawrence missed time after testing positive for COVID-19.
Uiagalelei finished the season with 914 passing yards, nine total touchdowns and a 66.7 percent completion rate in nine games for the Tigers.
Clemson will kick off its 2021 season on Sept. 4 against Georgia at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
