By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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D.J. Uiagalelei and J.T. Daniels headline the week one game between Clemson and Georgia.

Expectations are high for Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei and Georgia’s J.T. Daniels, two of the top quarterbacks in all of college football, ahead of the start of the season. California to Charlotte, the two superstars will square off in a top five week one showdown that awaits as the regular season game of the year. Their respective efforts will go a long way towards determining who wins the upcoming clash, who emerges as an early Heisman Trophy contender and which team becomes an early national championship frontrunner.

Stepping in for Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei’s first career start was an impressive one. He completed 31-of-40 passes for 342 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, in a win over Boston College. The encore performance, for Uiagalelei, was a truly signature showing. Though Clemson lost to 4th-ranked Notre Dame in double-overtime, his individual effort was one for the record books: 439 yards passing and three total touchdowns in helping the Tigers to 518 total yards in a primetime road contest against one of the best teams and the most well-known program in the game.

Uiagalelei threw for the most yards against the Fighting Irish, on the road no less, of any quarterback this millennium.

Daniels promptly finished the season with 392 passing yards in a comeback win over previously-undefeated Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, helping the Bulldogs down the field for a late game-winning field goal by Jack Podlesney. It was Daniels’ debut, however, that came with national attention; he introduced himself in Athens by completing 28-of-38 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Mississippi State. In four games last season, all SEC outings, Daniels averaged 10.3 yards per pass attempt.

Had Daniels finished with more attempts, he would have ranked 9th nationally with a passer rating of 178.50.

Hype is building for both quarterbacks and rightfully so. Uiagalelei, who recently signed a national marketing deal with Dr. Pepper, was recently named a pre-season first-team All-American by College Football News. Per BetOnline, Daniels is actually the current Heisman Trophy favorite at 5/1. Uiagalelei and Daniels are widely considered two of the top five players a their position nationally and, looking ahead, leading NFL Draft prospects. They are part of the reason anticipation has long been building towards the week one Clemson-Georgia pairing.

The two SoCal stars have squared off in the spotlight before. In 2017, when Daniels was a senior at power Mater Dei and Uiagalelei was a sophomore at power St. John Bosco, they matched up once in the regular season and once more in the postseason. They, too, were matchups with national implications.

Daniels threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for over 100 yards, in a 31-21 win in game one, while Uiagalelei passed for 243 yards and two scores. In the semifinals, Daniels paced the Monarchs with five touchdowns in a 49-24 triumph. He and Mater Dei won the state championship and national title. Now-Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Uiagalelei met in a title rematch the very next year, with the Monarchs winning again. Uiagalelei, with 410 passing yards and five total touchdowns in yet another showdown with Mater Dei, led St. John Bosco to state and national championships as a senior.

Though just a season-opener, there is a similar setting to this Clemson-Georgia clash. For a game played in the first week of the new season, it will feel like a contest played in the first week of the new year. This, mind you, could be the first of two matchups once more. Pundits are already discussing how this one result will impact the race to the College Football Playoff. Much of what happens, and who takes an early national lead, will depend on the play of two of the best quarterbacks in the country.

While Uiagalelei and Daniels are the focal points, this season-opening start will be a showcase for a number of the best players in the country.

Uiagalelei and star wide receiver Justyn Ross will form one of the top playmaking tandems around for Clemson. Back healthy after missing all of 2020 with a scary neck and spine injury, Ross had 112 reception for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns through two underclassman efforts in 2018 and 2019, including 1,000 yards in an undefeated, national championship season as a true freshman. He is getting awards attention this summer as he should. Look for consistent big plays downfield for the ever-talented Tigers.

Among others, Daniels returns wideouts Jermaine Burton and Kearis Jackson, who combined for over 900 yards a year ago. There is also a lot of hype around hybrid tight end Arik Gilbert, who caught 35 passes in year one at LSU. Georgia actually plans on using him mostly as an X-receiver on the perimeter. Even without standout George Pickens, who may be able to return from an ACL injury late in the season, the Bulldogs have some of the top skill position players in all of college football.

For both quarterbacks, the challenge will be immense. Uiagalelei will face a Georgia defense that features All-American candidate Jordan Davis up front and a pair of All-American transfers in the secondary in Derion Kendrick and Tykee Smith. Kendrick, a multi-year starter for Clemson, obviously knows the Tigers well. Daniels will square off against a Clemson defensive line, now featuring All-Americans Bryan Bresee and Myron Murphy, that continues to be the national standard. The Tigers have led the nation in sacks or tackles for loss in seven of the last eight years.

As the college football season moves closer to kickoff, Expectations are high for Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei and Georgia’s J.T. Daniels, two of the top quarterbacks in all of college football, ahead of the start of the season. California to Charlotte, the two superstars will square off in a top five week one showdown that awaits as the regular season game of the year. Their respective efforts will go a long way towards determining who wins the upcoming clash, who emerges as an early Heisman Trophy contender and which team becomes a national championship frontrunner.

Stepping in for Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei’s first career start was an impressive one. He completed 31-of-40 passes for 342 yards, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another, in a win over Boston College. The encore performance, for Uiagalelei, was a truly signature showing. Though Clemson lost to 4th-ranked Notre Dame in double-overtime, his individual effort was one for the record books: 439 yards passing and three total touchdowns in helping the Tigers to 518 total yards in a primetime road contest against one of the best teams in the game.

Uiagalelei threw for the most yards against the Fighting Irish, on the road no less, of any quarterback this millennium.

Daniels promptly finished the season with 392 passing yards in a comeback win over previously-undefeated Cincinnati in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, helping the Bulldogs down the field for a late game-winning field goal by Jack Podlesney. It was Daniels’ debut, however, that came with national attention; he introduced himself in Athens by completing 28-of-38 passes for 401 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Mississippi State. In four games last season, Daniels averaged 10.3 yards per pass attempt.

Had Daniels finished with more attempts, he would have ranked 9th nationally with a passer rating of 178.50.

Hype is building for both quarterbacks and understandably so. Uiagalelei was recently named a pre-season first-team All-American by College Football News. Per BetOnline, Daniels is the current Heisman Trophy favorite at 5/1. Uiagalelei and Daniels are widely considered two of the top five players a their position nationally and, looking ahead, leading NFL Draft prospects. They are part of the reason anticipation has long been building towards the week one Clemson-Georgia pairing.

The two SoCal stars have squared off in the spotlight before. In 2017, when Daniels was a senior at power Mater Dei and Uiagalelei was a sophomore at power St. John Bosco, they matched up once in the regular season and once more in the postseason.

Daniels threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for over 100 yards, in a 31-21 win in game one, while Uiagalelei passed for 243 yards and two scores. In the semifinals, Daniels paced the Monarchs with five touchdowns in a 49-24 triumph. He and Mater Dei won the state championship and national title. Now-Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Uiagalelei met in a title rematch the very next year, with the Monarchs winning again. Uiagalelei, with 410 passing yards and five total touchdowns in yet another showdown with Mater Dei, led St. John Bosco to state and national championships as a senior.

Though a season-opener, there is a similar setting to the Clemson-Georgia matchup. For a game played in the first week of the new season, it will feel like a contest played in the first week of the new year. Pundits are already discussing how this one result will impact the race to the College Football Playoff. Much of what happens, and who takes an early national lead, will depend on the play of two of the best quarterbacks in the country.

While Uiagalelei and Daniels are the focal points, this season-opening start will be a showcase for a number of the best players in the country.

Uiagalelei and star wide receiver Justyn Ross will form one of the top playmaking tandems around for Clemson. Back healthy after missing all of 2020 with a scary neck and spine injury, Ross had 112 reception for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns through two underclassman efforts in 2018 and 2019, including 1,000 yards in a national championship season as a true freshman. He is getting national attention this summer as he should. Look for consistent big plays downfield for the ever-talented Tigers.

Among others, Daniels returns wideouts Jermaine Burton and Kearis Jackson, who combined for over 900 yards a year ago. There is also a lot of hype around hybrid tight end Arik Gilbert, who caught 35 passes in year one at LSU. Georgia actually plans on using him mostly as an X-receiver on the perimeter. Even without standout George Pickens, who may be able to return from an ACL injury late in the season, the Bulldogs have some of the top skill position players in all of college football.

For both quarterbacks, the challenge will be immense. Uiagalelei will face a Georgia defense that features All-American candidate Jordan Davis up front and a pair of All-American transfers in the secondary in Derion Kendrick and Tykee Smith. Kendrick, a multi-year starter for Clemson, obviously knows the Tigers well. Daniels will square off against a Clemson defensive line, now featuring All-Americans Bryan Bresee and Myron Murphy, that continues to be the college football standard. The Tigers have led the nation in sacks or tackles for loss in seven of the last eight years.

When two of the best teams and two of the best quarterbacks in the country meet, something will have to give. Right away, somebody is set to stand out.

As the season moves closer to kickoff, Uiagalelei and Daniels have college football ready to hit the ground running. The storylines have already started. The bright lights and big stage await. A bronze trophy and a final four bid just might as well.