Tag: Uiagalelei

Sep 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) and quarterback Brock Glenn (11) before the game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Florida State Seminoles at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Florida St. QB DJ Uiagalelei (finger) questionable vs. Clemson

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is questionable for Saturday’s home game against No. 15 Clemson due to a finger injury.

Coach Mike Norvell confirmed Monday that his signal-caller’s status will be evaluated during the week. Uiagalelei and backup Brock Glenn are both listed atop the depth chart for the Seminoles (1-4, 1-3 ACC) against the Tigers (3-1, 2-0).

Uiagalelei’s hand was hit while throwing a pick-six, his third interception of the game, in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 42-16 defeat at SMU.

Uiagalelei, who began his career at Clemson (2020-22) before playing last season at Oregon State, has been underwhelming for the disappointing Seminoles. He has completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 1,065 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions in five starts.

“DJ did make a lot of good throws throughout the course of the game and some good decisions,” Norvell said Monday. “He made some poor decisions and a couple bad throws, but you’ve got to help the quarterback. I don’t think we’ve done a good job of that consistently. At the end of the day, we all have to have ownership in that.”

Making his first appearance of the season against the Mustangs, Glenn was 0-for-4 passing after replacing Uiagalelei. He completed 19 of 51 passes for 229 yards and two interceptions in five games in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Oregon State Beavers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei warm ups before the annual rivalry game against Oregon on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Reports: Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei to transfer

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is entering the transfer portal again, multiple outlets reported Thursday.

He passed for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first season with the Beavers after transferring from Clemson.

Uiagalelei will decide in the coming weeks whether to choose a third school or enter the 2024 NFL Draft, per ESPN.

He led Oregon State to an 8-4 season (5-4 Pac-12), adding 219 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

His career totals with the Beavers and Tigers (2020-22) include 8,319 passing yards, 57 TDs and 24 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Dec 3, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5)throws during the first quarter of the ACC Championship game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei transfers to Oregon State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

D.J. Uiagalelei, a former five-star prospect once considered to be Trevor Lawrence’s heir apparent at Clemson, plans to transfer to Oregon State, ESPN reported Friday.

Uiagalelei threw for 2,521 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2022 but was benched on multiple occasions. He spent most of his final game with the program on the sideline as freshman Cade Klubnik guided Clemson to a win over North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

In 35 career games with the Tigers, Uiagalelei completed 59.8 percent of his passes for 5,681 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Coming out of St. John Bosco High School in California, Uiagalelei was a five-star prospect and ranked No. 2 among quarterbacks in the 247Sports composite.

Now he’ll join an ascending Oregon State program that finished the season ranked No. 14 with a 10-3 record after defeating Florida 30-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl.

As an added wrinkle, Uiagalelei will play a Pac-12 Conference game against his brother, Matayo Uiagalelei, a five-star edge rusher prospect who committed to Oregon this week.

–Field Level Media

Dec 3, 2022; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) warms up before the ACC Championship game against the North Carolina Tarheels at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei enters transfer portal

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has entered the transfer portal and will not play for the Tigers in the postseason.

Uiagalelei threw for 2,521 and 22 touchdowns in 2022, but spent most of his final game with the program on the sideline as freshman Cade Klubnik guided Clemson to a win over North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Saturday.

Uiagalelei, a former five-star recruit who sat behind Trevor Lawrence before becoming the starter for the past two seasons, had been put on notice by head coach Dabo Swinney following the Tigers’ loss at Notre Dame.

“DJ, he’s a special person. He handles everything the right way,” Swinney said of the decision to change quarterbacks three possessions into Clemson’s 39-10 win over North Carolina. “He handles everything with class; he understood.”

Coming out of St. John Bosco High School in California, Uiagalelei was a five-star prospect and ranked No. 2 among quarterbacks in the 247Sports composite.

In 36 career games with the Tigers, Uiagalelei completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 5,681 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

No. 7 Clemson will face No. 6 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

–Field Level Media

Nov 26, 2022; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (5) warms up before the game with South Carolina at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Clemson to stay with QB DJ Uiagalelei in ACC title game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Clemson may have ended the regular season on a sour note, but coach Dabo Swinney wouldn’t pin the blame on starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

When the Tigers take the field next Saturday for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game, Uiagalelei will remain their No. 1 quarterback, Swinney said on an ACC teleconference Sunday.

No. 8 Clemson lost to rival South Carolina 31-30 in the regular-season finale Saturday. Uiagalelei completed just 8 of 29 passes for 99 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

“DJ had some plays that he’d like to have back, but he was a long way away from being the reason we lost the game, that’s for sure,” Swinney said. “He doesn’t return kicks and play safety and catch the ball. He can only control his part, but all of those things affect your psyche and the rhythm of the game.”

It isn’t the first time this season Swinney tamped down ideas of a quarterback controversy, as Clemson has freshman Cade Klubnik waiting in the wings behind Uiagalelei. Klubnik subbed in for a benched Uiagalelei against then-No. 14 Syracuse in October and helped the Tigers rally from down 11 for a 27-21 win.

But Swinney never considered subbing Klubnik in during the South Carolina game.

“We had some critical drops and some missed plays, and those things add up,” Swinney said. “The next thing you know, the turnovers with empty possessions, you’re out of rhythm and then you have some drops and a few missed plays along the way, and it’s a recipe for getting beat.”

Uiagalelei has completed 62.2 percent of his passes this season for 2,511 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has a 59.9 career completion percentage for 5,671 yards, 36 TDs and 17 picks across three seasons.

–Field Level Media

Dec 30, 2020; Arlington, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) warms up before the game against the Florida Gators at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Sooners QB Spencer Rattler early 2021 Heisman Trophy favorite

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Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler has been installed as the initial Heisman Trophy favorite for next season.

The freshman signal-caller was listed as the +500 opening favorite by PointsBet ahead of Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.

Rattler, a five-star recruit out of Phoenix, took over the starting job this season and threw for 3,031 yards, 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games. He led the Sooners to a win in the Cotton Bowl, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the 55-20 victory over Florida.

Uiagalelei is a freshman out of Bellflower, Calif., who saw action in nine games this season, including a pair of starts when Trevor Lawrence was sidelined following a positive COVID-19 test. Uiagalelei completed 66.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions, and is poised to take over the Tigers’ starting job from Lawrence.

North Carolina junior quarterback Sam Howell is the third betting favorite at +850, followed by Alabama freshman quarterback Bryce Young, who threw just 13 passes this season.

Three veteran quarterbacks follow that pair with +1200 odds each: Miami’s D’Eriq King, Georgia’s J.T. Daniels and Southern California’s Kedon Slovis.

King suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Hurricanes’ bowl game loss but Miami said he is expected to be ready for the start of next season.

Daniels transferred from USC to Georgia earlier this year after tearing knee ligaments in the fall of 2019 and watching Slovis take command of the job. Daniels went on to throw for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in four games for the Bulldogs, while Slovis threw for 1,921 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven picks in six games.

The top non-quarterback on the early 2021-22 Heisman Trophy odds market by PointsBet is Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr. He has rushed for 1,292 yards on 4.9 yards per carry with 15 touchdowns entering the College Football Playoff title game.

2021 Heisman Trophy Odds (PointsBet)
Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (+500)
D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson (+675)
Sam Howell, UNC (+850)
Bryce Young, Alabama (+1000)
D’Eriq King, Miami (+1200)
J.T. Daniels, Georgia (+1200)
Kedon Slovis, USC (+1200)
Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama (+1200)
Emory Jones, Florida (+1200)
Breece Hall, Iowa State (+1500)
Jayden Daniels, Arizona State (+1500)
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana (+1500)
Tyler Shough, Oregon (+1500)
Bijan Robinson, Texas (+1500)
Kyren Williams, Notre Dame (+1500)
Brock Purdy, Iowa State (+1800)
Graham Mertz, Wisconsin (+1800)
Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State (+2000)
Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M (+2000)
Matt Corral, Ole Miss (+2000)
Kevin Harris, South Carolina (+2000)
Dillon Gabriel, UCF (+2500)
Carson Strong, Nevada (+2500)
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina (+2500)
John Metchie III, Alabama (+2500)
Jordan Addison, Pitt (+2500)
Zay Flowers, Boston College (+2500)

–Field Level Media

Oct 31, 2020; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (5) passes the ball during the first quarter of the game against Boston College at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY Sports

Uiagalelei thrives as No. 1 Clemson escapes vs. Boston College

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third as No. 1 Clemson survived a scare from Boston College before holding on for a 34-28 victory Saturday afternoon at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

Uiagalelei was making the first start of his career, filling in for three-year starter and Heisman Trophy favorite Trevor Lawrence, who missed the game while in isolation with COVID-19.

Lawrence’s availability for next week’s showdown at Notre Dame remains uncertain.

Uiagalelei was up the task, even if the Tigers’ injury depleted defense wasn’t. Clemson (7-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) was missing three starters off its defense and it showed, particularly early in the game.

But Uiagalelei came up big, completing 30 of 41 passes and running for a 30-yard touchdown in a third-quarter rally that saw the Tigers outgain the Eagles 147-39 and outscore them 13-0. The Tigers took a 32-28 lead with 11:34 remaining and held on from there.

The Tigers’ victory wasn’t secure, however, until freshman defensive tackle Bryan Bresee sacked Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec for a safety with 1:18 left in the game to cap game-ending 24-0 run.

Clemson has won 28 consecutive games against ACC opponents.

Boston College slipped to 4-3, 3-3.

Senior running back Travis Etienne became the ACC’s all-time leading rusher with a 16-yard run on the final play of the third quarter, passing former N.C. State standout Ted Brown, who had 4,602 yards from 1975 to 1978. Etienne has 4,644.

Etienne was productive once again against Boston College, totaling 264 all-purpose yards. He had 84 yards rushing on 20 carries and added 140 yards receiving on seven catches as well as a 40-yard kickoff return.

It took Boston College only four plays to take a 7-0 lead, with Jurkovec tossing to Zay Flowers for an 11-yard touchdown to cap a game-opening, 75-yard drive.

After Etienne evened the score with a 35-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Uiagalelei, the Eagles dominated the rest of the half.

Boston College got a 2-yard run from running back David Bailey, a 97-yard fumble return by cornerback Brandon Sebastian and an 18-yard strike from Jurkovec to wide receiver C.J. Lewis to forge a 28-13 halftime lead.

It marked the first time Clemson had trailed at the half of a regular-season game since a loss to Florida State in 2013.

Jurkovec completed 12 of 24 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns for Boston College.

–Field Level Media