DJ Uiagalelei will see his third team in five years after he announced he would be transferring to Florida State
After Jordan Travis’ injury late this season, Florida State was left with a lot of questions. It seems as though they found their answer to one of them. After somewhat of a mass quarterback migration in the transfer portal after the Seminoles’ embarrassing Orange Bowl loss to Georgia, head coach Mike Norvell didn’t take too long to find his probable starting quarterback for 2024 in DJ Uiagalelei.
The former Oregon State and Clemson quarterback entered his name portal earlier in the year after the announcement that Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith packed his bags for East Lansing, taking the head coach job at Michigan State. That left Uiagalelei without a team, and was connected with the Seminoles almost immediately. The former five-star prospect took a visit to Tallahassee in December and it comes as no surprise that the Seminoles have been the frontrunner to land him for quite some time.
Uiagalelei originally committed to Clemson in 2020, where he didn’t pan out right away. He entered in with sky-high expectations, being one of the most prolific recruits coming out of high school and having earned a 101 247Sports grade. However, it all went kaput very quickly when his issues as a passer began to surface. His first two seasons were littered with inconsistency, a 9-10 TD/INT ratio in one season, and having serious competition as another five-star in Cade Klubnik arrived in Death Valley. His third season became the straw that broke the camel’s back, being ultimately benched for Cade Klubnik– Dabo Swinney making it clear that Uiagalelei was not the future for the Tigers.
FURTHER READING REQUIRED: Jordan Travis Deals Massive Blow to Florida State’s College Football Playoff Hopes
Uiagalelei entered the transfer protal where he ended up in Corvallis, Oregon playing for the Oregon State Beavers. With 2023 being by far his most productive year throwing for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. He lead the Beavers to the 19th slot in the AP Poll, something he failed to do at Clemson.
What is Florida State Getting in DJ Uiagalelei?
DJ Uiagalelei brings a strong veteran presence to a Seminoles team that is littered with young talent. Florida State will be getting an experienced, hardened Uiagalelei that has plenty of arm talent to go along with it. Uiagalelei will be using his grad transfer eligibility to play in Tallahassee, leading to us believing that he could be the bridge between a generational talent like Jordan Travis and the younger arms still on the team after quarterbacks like Tate Rodemaker decided to enter the transfer portal.
Uiagalelei was a former five star recruit and was the 13th ranked transfer quarterback and the 69th ranked player in the portal overall by 247Sports. He was the second ranked quarterback by the same organization in high school as well as the best ranked pro-style QB.
“I think the legacy here at Florida State speaks for itself,” Uiagalelei said announcing his commitment.
“They know what they’re doing; that’s the biggest thing for me,” he’d go on to say. “They know football, they know X’s and O’s, they know schemes. They’re great people as well.”
