Ex-Clemson QB Uiagalelei commits to Oregon St
Dec 23, 2022 Pete ThamelESPN Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has dedicated to move to Oregon State, he revealed Saturday.Uiagalelei, a former ESPN top-50 recruit who went 22-6 as a starter at Clemson, was among the most gifted players in the NCAA transfer portal.Uiagalelei hails from Southern California, and his choice to head back West will connect him with among West Coast’s
rising programs. Oregon State is coming off a 10-3 season, that included a 30-3 blowout of Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl.2 Related At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Uiagalelei has elite arm talent, but he completed less than 60 %of his passes in his Clemson career, tossing 36 touchdowns and 17
interceptions.Oregon State returns all 5 starters on the offensive line and has one of the top young tailbacks in the nation in Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Damien Martinez, who ran for 982 yards.Uiagalelei will need to beat out incumbent starter Ben Gulbranson, who went 7-1 as a starter for the Beavers this season. Opportunity Nolan, who started the season as Oregon State’s starter, is in the transfer portal.Uiagalelei went into Clemson as one of the nation’s top quarterback employees in 2020. He
teased fame in his freshman year, throwing for 439 yards in a double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. It marked the most lawns by an opposing quarterback at Notre Dame Stadium.But from there, Uiagalelei never ever quite satisfied the prodigious expectations. He played sturdily for prolonged stretches, but Clemson missed out on the College Football Playoff in both of his seasons as the school’s primary starter, 2021 and 2022. That two-year stretch began the heels of Clemson reaching the CFP 6 straight times.Uiagalelei got pulled from the beginning job in the first quarter of the ACC title game, leading to what appeared to be a changing of the guard with gifted freshman Cade Klubnik. Uiagalelei got in the portal a few days later.Uiagalelei has 2 years of eligibility remaining. And while he has actually veered from the three-and-done path that has ended up being an expectation for a lot of leading prospects, he has actually discovered a program that
has a strong performance history of developing quarterbacks.Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith and offending planner Brian Lindgren will try to open the arm skill of Uiagalelei, who showed unique enhancement this year after he slimmed down and ran more designed quarterback run plays. He set career highs in passing yards(2,521 )and passing touchdowns(22)along with in rushing lawns(545)and hurrying touchdowns(7). Smith is a former college star at Oregon State, and Lindgren has coached quarterbacks
in college given that 2008. The Beavers’strong offensive line and run game will take some pressure off Uiagalelei if he wins the job.Uiagalelei will be one of the highest-regarded recruits to play at Oregon State recently. He was the No. 43 overall recruit in the Class of 2020. Oregon State has signed simply 3 ESPN 300 players because 2006, with guard Isaac Seumalo, ranked No. 19 in 2012, being the highest.The presence of Uiagalelei in Corvallis
will enliven the competition with Oregon that’s known as “The Civil War.”His younger bro Matayo, an ESPN 300 protective end possibility, devoted to Oregon this week. That indicates the brothers could be lining up across from each other next season in one of the Pac-12’s greatest rivalries.