D.J. Uiagalelei commitment gives Clemson an insanely loaded recruiting class

The rich get richer as the reigning champion Clemson Tigers landed the commitment from No. 1 quarterback recruit D.J. Uiagalelei on Sunday afternoon.

In a move that was expected for at least a month, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback recruit has picked the Clemson Tigers. D.J. Uiagalelei picked Clemson over Oregon in a Sunday afternoon announcement. The 5-4, 240-pound quarterback is the latest five-star recruit to commit to Clemson as Dabo Swinney’s team is in line to get their first No. 1 ranked recruiting class.

He picked Clemson in part because of his spiritual connection with his future head coach Dabo Swinney and the culture and the players he’ll be with for the next three-four years.

“This class coming in could be one of the best of all time,” Uiagalelei told 247Sports. “It’s exciting to be a part of that and we’re not done yet. There are still a lot of players out there that I think will come to Clemson that will surprise a lot of people.”

Clemson has four five-star commitments now, twice as many as No. 2 LSU and four times as many as No. 3 Alabama. Headliners of the class include No. 1 overall recruit, Bryan Bresee and No. 2 running back Demarkcus Bowman who committed earlier this weekend.

Uiagalelei stars at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. The school is the alma mater of another former No. 1 quarterback recruit, Josh Rosen. Uiagalelei could be on a similar track as Rosen as he projects to be a college superstar who is in line to be a top 5-10 pick in the NFL Draft.

Uiagalelei will sit behind Trevor Lawrence for one season, presuming Lawrence leaves for the NFL Draft after his junior season in 2021. Uiagalelei could redshirt as a freshman, but he could also get action in backup duty behind Lawrence and get a little game experience his first year in Clemson.

A high school standout in football and a talented baseball player who can hit 95 on the radar gun with his fastball, Uiagalelei could also have his name called in the MLB Draft. Could he be faced with a similar decision as Kyler Murray in a few years and have to choose between football and baseball?

Perhaps.

But his future is in football, with one more year at St. John Bosco, where he’ll look to lead the team to a state title before coming to Clemson where he’ll be met with national championship expectations. Just as Lawrence and Deshaun Watson before him.

This could be one of the greatest recruiting classes of all time and lead to multiple national titles for Swinney and Clemson.