Has DJ Uiagalelei lastly found his fit at Florida State?

It’s his first day of fall practice at Florida State. However his college career has not gone according to strategy. His; those of the recruiting prognosticators who lavished him with 4 and five stars; any of the sport’s talking heads who foretold his ascendance. So it’s likewise his last first day of fall practice at Florida State. He’s the brand-new kid. He’s the grizzled veteran. And he’s here, in Tallahassee– his third and last stop on a five-year, nationwide campus tour– for just a brief spell.He’s remained in town seven months now, long enough to understand Ms. Carol, however. Everyone understands Ms. Carol; Ms. Carol understands everybody. She’s been a component on the football team since 1985, save for a short, recent stint in academics, and she holds her post every day outside the iron gates that safeguard the practice complex. She’s part bouncer, part matriarch– monitoring who gains entry to practice and providing home-cooked greetings to the players and coaches she calls “honey” as they filter in for the day.Uiagalelei:”Hi

, Ms. Carol.”

Protective lineman KJ Sampson: “How are you, Ms. Carol?”

Punter Alex Mastromanno: “Ms. Carol!”

Mike Norvell: “GOOOOOOD EARLY MORNING, MS. CAROL!”

Florida State’s head coach sprints by, and he’s swift and energetic enough that his welcoming reaches full Doppler result. That’s what Uiagalelei very first truly enjoyed about Norvell when he signed on as a Seminole in January. This energy that spills over into mania.

“How extreme he is,” Uiagalelei says. “Screaming all around the center, shouting ‘great early morning,’ 24/7. It’ll be 8 o’clock during the night and he’s screaming ‘good early morning.'”

Ms. Carol also appreciates Norvell’s liveliness– she returns his well-wishes with just as numerous “o’s” in her ‘excellent morning’ as Norvell handled to belt out– and she appreciates Uiagalelei too.She nods in the quarterback’s instructions. “I ‘d actually thought I ‘d seen it and heard it all,” she says. “You know, 25 years with Coach Bowden. 8 years with Jimbo. He is something different. It’s wonderful.”

Uiagalelei has captured on fast in Tallahassee.His brand-new coaches and colleagues will tell you he’s something different too. So will his old teammates and coaches. Even as the sound around him these previous couple of years swelled from adulation to aspersion to apathy, what was various about DJ Uiagalelei– the absurd things he might make a football do– was “jaw-dropping,” “nuts,”borderline Bunyanesque.He can toss a football more than three-quarters of the method downfield with a flick of his wrist, or two says Colby Bowman, his previous high school receiver: “He might do a three-step drop and then launch that thing 80, 85 yards.”Back in his high school days at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California, his former quarterback coach Steven Lo was catching for Uiagalelei during warmup, and Uiagalelei literally broke his hand.”The ball blew my bone apart. It felt like someone shot my hand, “Lo states.”I don’t even know if his throw was completely gassed up, but it had that much speed. A normal human being like myself need to not be catching footballs from him. You need gifted receivers with real hands to catch that kind of heat. “Florida State’s fifth-year senior, Ja’Khi Douglas, a gifted receiver trained to capture stated heat, corroborates:”Every set of gloves

: rip, rip, rip. Like, dang. I got ta get a brand-new pair of gloves after every practice, since DJ rips them.” Uiagalelei has long been enticing. However for the bulk of his college profession, the temptation of what he could be bumped up versus the ceiling

of what he became. For two years as a starter at Clemson: embattled, dropped by a rocky fit between scheme and player for one of the preeminent programs in college football. In one season at Oregon State: rejuvenated, buoyed by a better fit and improved play, but blunted by a modest platform in Corvallis. What he hopes he discovers in Tallahassee– what he and those around him believe he has discovered here– is a blissful marital relationship of the very best parts of what came previously. The right fit on the best stage.” I believe he can go and be as good as there is, “Norvell says.In other words, now on the phase he was when contacted us to command, he can– possibly,

lastly– be as great as he when billed to be.

DJ Uiagalelei, entering his 5th year after stints at Clemson and Oregon State, hopes that at Florida State, he’s lastly found the program where he can flourish on a huge stage. Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports The story of Uiagalelei’s tenure as college quarterback has gone from legendary to cautionary to an ambiguous in-between. Depending on your vantage point, he’s either in limbo or on

a precipice.”I didn’t believe I would be here, at Florida State, “he says, nestled in the team’s quarterbacks’space– as much as a male who is 6-foot-4 and weighs about 250 pounds can nestle.

Over his shoulder, images of former Seminole luminaries stand guard.”I didn’t believe I ‘d move two times or be at 3 different schools in my college career or remain in college for 5 years. I believed it was gon na be three-and-out, straight outta Clemson, to the league.”In the heady days of 2020, Uiagalelei walked onto Clemson’s school as one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. He made a pair of starts for Trevor Lawrence when Lawrence was sidelined by COVID-19, then he delicately crafted the largest resurgence in Death Valley history versus Boston College and tossed for the most yards by an opponent at Notre Dame Stadium.Mostly, he invested the first couple of months of his recently established college career appearing like a lock to be Lawrence’s successor evident. As the star quarterback at Clemson. As the face of college football in the nationwide discourse too.Then all of a sudden– and irretrievably– he flatlined. There was the stalled advancement: 10 interceptions to nine touchdown passes in 2021; an advantageous start in 2022 derailed by 8 turnovers in his last six games. The sputtering offenses he spearheaded: Clemson ranked No. 93 in the FBS in pass completions of 20 lawns or more in the 2 years Uiagalelei started. The inglorious benching(s)for Cade Klubnik, another five-star recruit waiting in the wings: First, versus Syracuse in 2022; once again briefly at Notre Dame; once more, and for the last time, in the ACC championship versus North Carolina. That he needed a reset at all came as a shock to his system. Like something foreign had entered his body and he needed to expel it.He discusses: “High school’s fantastic, top player in the country, luxury whatever. There was no difficulty until my sophomore year happened. That was the first time I really experienced some kind of difficulty in anything. “Uiagalelei is, according to everybody around him, a modest man.

Someone pleased to cede the spotlight and its attendant applause. Heading into his senior year at St. John Bosco, he bailed out of the Elite 11– where high school quarterback royalty flocks to see and be seen– when his group was putting in an uninspired training camp. He wished to remain local to help right the ship rather. Uiagalelei had a big vote of confidence from Oregon State Coach Jonathan Smith, who left for Michigan State in late November. AP Photo/David Zalubowski However he’s sincere too. It wasn’t that football, or sports, or excelling in them, was simple. But he had always had the ability to make it look that way.Back when Uiagalelei was in grade school, he played baseball too. He was about 10 years old and dominating in Little League ball when his mother, Tausha, remembers him stalking off the field, fed up with a game he didn’t think his team ought to’ve lost.”I’m not here to have a good time anymore, “he declared. “I want to win. Put me in travel ball.”Tausha remembers thinking to herself, Oh

, this guy’s different.His personal coach in those days was Dave Coggin, a former Clemson quarterback commitment and one-time MLB pitcher. Coggin would host college coaches wanting to search the Southern California baseball talent from time to time, and as a favor to Uiagalelei’s father, he let DJ, then simply a middle schooler, join 40 or 50 high schoolers showing off their stuff. UCLA was in your house. Vanderbilt. Clemson. Dozens of others.

“He was up there throwing at 85, 86. It was wild,” Coggin says.”I inform ya, I had more concerns from all the colleges about,’Who’s this kid?’than all those other juniors and elders.” This, in the sport Uiagalelei ultimately chose he didn’t want to pursue. Though Coggin explains that the Dodgers took a leaflet on Uiagalelei, who hasn’t played baseball since high school, in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB draft. “And I do not believe that’s the last that he’s gon na speak with a Major League team, to be honest. “Point being: Up until the moment he was not, Uiagalelei had only really recognized life as an experience. As a pitcher, sure. As a quarterback, most definitely.With this kernel of self-affirmation as his soundtrack– he might do this; he understood how to be the very best player in any space, on any field– Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal and knocked on brand-new doors.At Oregon State, a fresh playbook seemed like relief, and the vote of self-confidence from head coach Jonathan Smith, seemed like redemption.”It’s all you want as a player, “discusses Uiagalelei, who has stated in the past that was something he didn’t feel he had by the end of his stint in Clemson.”Especially as a quarterback. You desire the training personnel to think in you, trust you to be able to go out there and carry out. “( Dabo Swinney, for his part, has actually stated he considers Uiagalelei’s time at Clemson a success, and foresees yet more success for the quarterback:”I like DJ. … I’m pulling for him to do fantastic things,”he stated in 2023.”I’ll be very shocked if he doesn’t.”)Then, on the heels of a heartening one-year proving in Corvallis– he finished No. 12 in QBR, after signing in at 97 and 52 in his two at Clemson– with the Pac-12 in a death spiral, Smith left for Michigan State. And Uiagalelei selected to start over again too. He entered the transfer website, and within the hour, Norvell rang Uiagalelei’s phone. Some 24 hours after that, Tony Tokarz, Florida State’s quarterbacks coach, touched down in Oregon to consult with Uiagalelei. The demand Uiagalelei’s services was more controlled than it was five years ago. At that time, he carpooled to high school every day with one of his football coaches, and there would be days where the 2 wouldn’t speak for the entirety of the hour-long commute. There was no time, in between the flurry of calls Uiagalelei fielded from college coaches intent on wooing him to their campus and, one time, serenading him for his birthday.But then, he didn’t require to be won over. He required a win. He was trying to find a 2nd second possibility. Uiagalelei’s auspicious start at Clemson derailed, including eight turnovers in his last six games there. John Byrum/Icon Sportswire Uiagalelei liked the idea of signing up with ranks with Norvell, who has actually made himself into something of a transfer portal savant. This April, eight of Norvell’s portal acquisitions were drafted; three were picked in the very first 40 picks.

He liked the method his deep balls could match with the speed at receiver that ultimately joined him in Tallahassee(Alabama transfer Malik Benson; LSU transfer Jalen Brown). He liked that, when Tokarz joined him in Corvallis and they pored over 5 of his Oregon State game tapes, Tokarz pointed out what he liked about Uiagalelei’s game, and what he believed he might make much better. He liked, he liked, he liked.Now, the early returns appear rosy. Either by dint of personal experience in the art of starting over, or by large force of goodwill, Uiagalelei has, by all accounts, handled to transform this Florida State group into Uiagalelei acolytes.For the other quarterbacks in the space, hibachi suppers in town and rounds of golf assisted. So did the deep ball he released 70, 72 yards in the air one day this spring.”That’s when I believed,’Yeah, he’s gon na do simply fine here, ‘”states Luke Kromenhoek, Florida State’s freshman passer.For his brand-new group of receivers, a four-day trip back to Uiagalelei’s home town in California sufficed. As did the back-foot toss he tossed to Douglas this fall camp that was this much out of bounds, right where just Douglas, and not the defender curtained over him, might capture it.”Male, that dude is special, “Douglas says.For his quarterback coach, it was spying Uiagalelei in the meeting room with the movie projector on, no conferences

on the docket or teammates in sight. Tokarz had actually been on the road recruiting for days and thought the solo research study session was a one-off. Then the next day, he identified Uiagalelei again. The day after that one too. There was likewise the ball he tossed to Kentron Poitier in spring ball that Tokarz states had all the makings of a” Sunday-type throw.””All the coaches are kinda looking at each other through the side of their eye, saying,’Did you simply see that?’ “Simply put, Uiagalelei has flashed enough in his time with the Seminoles to allow them to dream about what might be possible. Him too.”A lotta guys probably would’ve stopped or tried to find something else to do in life, “says Beaux

Collins, who had fun with Uiagalelei in his Clemson days and stood on the sideline with him as crowds chanted for the backup.” But he’s still chasing after that dream that he has. ” At St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif., Uiagalelei the high schooler tossed a pass so hard it broke his previous quarterback coach’s hand. Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire The joke amongst St. John Bosco coaches was that Uiagalelei, all of 16 years old at the time, appeared like a parent who just dropped his kid

off at the middle school next door. He had a goatee and he made defensive lineman look pretty(the first time Paul Diaz, Bosco’s protective line coach, saw Uiagalelei in person, he assumed he was a lineman ). As he wends his way towards practice, past Ms. Carol, through the iron gate, surrounded by a gaggle of younger quarterbacks who, when again, appear like they might be his kids, Uiagalelei still has the Mature Adult thing opting for

him.He lives in a home 20 minutes beyond campus with his fiancée, Ava Pritchard. His college exploits, to date, have actually primarily consisted of befriending his next-door neighbor, Mark,”an older gentleman.”(“Like a daddy, “Uiagalelei clarifies.” He’s not old. Simply older than me.”) When he and Pritchard decided on Tallahassee as their next stop, this house and this neighborhood attracted them exactly because it was eliminated from school, from football, from commotion.”I’m an older guy, “Uiagalelei shrugs.”I didn’t want to live near a bunch of college kids.” He might point you to some landmarks on school. He’s even given drive-by trips to visiting household but admits he has yet to walk Florida State like a true student. This location is, in the very best of situations, the releasing pad to somewhere brand-new,

something bigger. And still, this place is likewise where he’s looked and felt most like the DJ Uiagalelei he utilized to be.”They let him go be DJ,”Tausha says. “He’s like high school DJ,” she goes on. When football was glossy and amazing and unsullied.”There he is. That’s DJ. There he is. We understood he was in there.”Pritchard verifies as much. Uiagalelei met his future fiancée 2 university stops earlier, on a school bus at Clemson. He ‘d just remained in South Carolina

for a week or two and he was lost. He spotted Pritchard, complimented her shoes(black Yeezys

, she recalls), then asked her how to get to class. They went on a date a couple of days later on, and they’ve been together considering that, from one coast to another.”You can just tell in his voice,”she states. “It’s just various here.”Uiagalelei thinks it’s various here. Everyone around him does too. They figure it has to be, for what Uiagalelei wants.”This is NFL or bust,”states Terry Bullock, who coached him at Bosco and understood him long before that.And if it is different here– if Florida State makes him various; if this really is the right partner with the ideal platform– that work begins in earnest now. For him, and for his 10th-ranked Seminoles, Georgia Tech and the 2024 season are one day away.Back on the field, as practice gets in full speed, Uiagalelei takes a snap, launches. Norvell likes what he sees, and he (surprise!)favorably bellows his approval. “That’s the angle we need! GOOOOOOD THROW!”Perhaps Norvell will like what he’ll see next week too, and the weeks and months after that. Possibly Uiagalelei will too.He takes another

snap. The speakers blast a Reasoning song overhead, and it’s a fitting soundtrack for

this chapter in Tallahassee, Uiagalelei’s coda.I got a lot on my mind. Got a great deal of work ahead of me.There is not much time left, however there is much left for Uiagalelei to do. He is not here to have fun any longer. His season, and his 2nd 2nd opportunity, awaits.