Clemson coach Dabo Swinney spent some time on Wednesday defending his returning starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

The former 5-star prospect had a disappointing season last year after coming in with high expectations. He threw 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing just over 55% of his passes.

But going into 2022, there’s reason for optimism. Uiagalelei told reporters on Wednesday that he’s in the best shape of his life going into fall camp.

Rather than look for a replacement, Swinney is doubling down on Uiagalelei’s talent. He used some colorful — and hilarious — language to Uiagalelei’s sophomore slump.

“My quarterback, you mentioned him. This dude is a freak. And people talk about him like he’s some slapdick from Eastaboga Community College,” Swinney said on radio row at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. “And this guy can play the game at the highest level. He’s going to play the game at the highest level.

“And he wasn’t great last year. He was awesome as a freshman. He was awesome his whole career in high school. He’s a winner. He’s got all the tools, all the intangibles. But he is better because of what he went through.”

Swinney went into more details about the adversity that Uiagalelei and Clemson’s offense faced last season.

“All the sudden, we’ve got 3 different centers,” Swinney said. “We’ve got 6 OL. One’s a true freshman. A true freshman running back, all of our receivers are out.

“Well, now [Uiagalelei] tries to do too much. He loses his confidence. First time in his life he’s had to deal with some criticism. This guy ain’t ever been criticized. He’s been the GOAT his whole life. And now all the sudden he’s got milk bone underwear on and they’re chomping at him everywhere he goes.”

Here’s video of Swinney’s remarks:

Clemson opens the 2022 season with Georgia Tech on Sept. 5.