Dabo: 'Don't need anybody on a message board' to tell me who Uiagalelei is

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney went to bat Wednesday for D.J. Uiagalelei.

When asked about fan perception of Uiagalelei following the quarterback's rocky sophomore campaign, Swinney said, "I don't need anybody on a message board to tell me who DJ is," according to Austin Brezina of On3.

"My second year as the head coach, I won six games," Swinney noted. "There was a lot of people on the message boards wanting me gone, right? Then, next year we won the ACC for the first time in 20 years. We won 10 games for the first time in 20 years. Now we win 10 games, and they want to fire me."

Uiagalelei impressed in his limited appearances in 2020, throwing five touchdowns to zero interceptions. However, he struggled to build on his debut year and threw more picks (10) than scores (9) last season.

Swinney stressed that he's confident that Uiagalelei will rebound. The coach also pointed out that Clemson's shortcomings around the quarterback played a factor in his slump.

"I can talk about how great he is all day long, he has to go do it. I believe in him, and there ain't no doubt about that. I know who he is," Swinney said, per Brezina. "We're going to be better around him, and that's the first thing we've got to do ... He has to learn from his mistakes. He has to play better in certain areas that he knows. I believe he is going to do it."

Uiagalelei also revealed that he's down to 235 pounds after losing 30 since the end of last season, according to The Action Network's Brett McMurphy.

"I was too heavy after the Cheez-It Bowl," Uiagalelei said. "I am now in the best shape of my life."