DJ Uiagalelei’s path leads him to Oregon State and a fresh start away from Clemson
DJ Uiagalelei, at 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds with a football engulfed by his hand, still stands out even if no one really notices him anymore. At least not here. Uiagalelei and his new teammates at Oregon State go through a Tuesday practice on a chilly mid-April morning as a handful of students and construction workers pass by without slowing down to take a peek at the practice field across the road from the Beavers’ stadium.
Two years ago, the former five-star recruit did national TV commercials with Dr Pepper as he was primed to be football’s next big thing. Now, Uiagalelei has relocated to the other side of the country, and he isn’t worried about winning a starting job but just learning a new system and becoming the best quarterback he can be. Later this week, two of his old buddies, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, are expected to be selected with the first two picks of the NFL Draft. It’s the place many observers, including Uiagalelei, expected him to be. But if you think there’s any jealousy there, that just doesn’t seem to be how he’s wired.
A few weeks ago, when Uiagalelei was home in Southern California for spring break, he worked out with the two QBs while they were prepping for the draft.
“I’ve known them since eighth grade,” he said. “I’m really happy for them. I think they’re both great players and great human beings. Every time I go home, we work together at 3DQB. It’s exciting to see because they put in a lot of hard work to be in that position, to be able to go 1-2. To see them flourish in college — Bryce winning the Heisman and C.J. almost winning a Heisman and playing in those big-time games, I’m happy for them.
“God has a different plan for me than them, and my story is still being written. Yeah, I thought that was gonna be me, but my time is not God’s time, and God’s time is always the best time. I’m just trying to follow his plan and his path.”
Uiagalelei’s path has led him here, nearly 3,000 miles from Clemson, to Corvallis and a program coming off its first top-20 season in a decade.
Taking over as Clemson’s starter after Trevor Lawrence left for the NFL, Uiagalelei was the Tigers’ quarterback for teams that finished No. 14 and No. 13 in the AP poll the past two seasons. As a freshman in 2020, Uiagalelei stepped in when Lawrence was sidelined with COVID-19 and excelled, throwing for almost 800 yards and accounting for six touchdowns and no interceptions in games against Boston College and Notre Dame. He broke a Clemson freshman record against the Irish, throwing for 439 yards. But his 2021 season was shaky as the Tigers had offensive issues, looking stagnant and predictable, and he completed only 56 percent of his passes with a 9-10 TD-INT ratio.
The 2022 season was better as Uiagalelei threw 22 touchdowns and just seven picks and ran for 545 yards and seven more touchdowns, but Clemson’s offense still sputtered, and the former all-everything recruit spent a lot of time looking over his shoulder before eventually getting benched for freshman Cade Klubnik. When Uiagalelei committed to Clemson, the program felt like an ideal fit for him as a person, but it wasn’t ideal for him as a quarterback.
