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DJ Uiagalelei impressed with Mike Norvell, Jordan Travis following official visit to FSU
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- DJ Uiagalelei impressed with Mike Norvell, Jordan Travis following official visit to FSU
DJ Uiagalelei is very familiar with the recruiting process.
He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class when he signed with Clemson out of St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, California. Last year, he transferred from the Tigers west to Oregon State .
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The former 5-star quarterback spent an official visit with Florida State football over the weekend, with his visit concluding Sunday.
This time around, he knows what he wants and is ready to make his final collegiate stop count.
"Yes, 100 percent," Uiagalelei said about his fit with the Seminoles. "For me, I wouldn't come here if I didn't think it was a fit. There's a reason why I'm here and a reason why I like Florida State , and it's because I think it's a great fit for me."
The trip for Uiagalelei was about getting to know head coach Mike Norvell , offensive coordinator Alex Atkins , quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz and the rest of the coaching staff.
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Uiagalelei has played against them in the past while he was at Clemson. But the official weekend visit was about getting to know the program from the inside.
"It was great, man. Everything I looked forward to," Uiagalelei said. "All the questions I had, they answered them. They have a great program here. I think Coach Norvell has done a great job, they do a great job on offense. The way they've executed this year, 13-0.
"It's tough how that ended for them, but they had an unbelievable season. It was good for me to see how they get down, how they run the ship here. They do a good job."
Last season with the Beavers, Uiagalelei threw for 2,638 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also added 219 rush yards and six scores on the ground.
Clemson Tigers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (5) passes the ball down the field to his teammate. The Clemson Tigers defeated the Florida State Seminoles 34-28 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.
Watching what FSU's offense did last season with Jordan Travis leading the team, Uiagalelei likes how he would fit in for his final NFL audition.
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"Pushing the ball down the field, they've got playmakers outside, have a great offensive line," Uiagalelei said.
"They score a lot of points, man. I feel like for me, my biggest thing is I want to keep getting developed as a quarterback. There are a lot of things I want to be able to continue to get better at and learn from. I feel like under coach Norvell and a lot of the coaches here, they could take my game to the next level, continue to help me develop, progress."
Uiagalelei was one of two transfer portal quarterbacks to visit FSU this weekend. Washington State graduate transfer QB Cam Ward visited Tallahassee from Thursday to Saturday, with a slight overlap between the two QBs visits.
As of Sunday, Uiagalelei said he did not have any other visits scheduled.
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"For me, I have no clue. I'm just taking it day by day, keeping that close to my family," Uiagalelei said. "I definitely like Florida State a lot. They've done a really good job and I'm thankful for the opportunity of coach Norvell bringing me in here. It was a great weekend."
Jordan Travis pitches FSU
Uiagalelei said he talked to Travis before making his visit to Tallahassee.
"Yes, I talked to him on the phone before I came here," Uiagalelei said.
"He's a great dude. He's a great person, a great player. He said great things about Florida State, and anybody I've talked to has said great things about Florida State, and then when I came here, that's all I saw. Just great things about the program and the coaches, how they run the program. You can tell with these guys that they mean what they say."
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Travis finished 207 of 324 passing for 2,755 yards, 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his final season with the Seminoles in 2013. He also added 73 rushes for 176 yards and seven scores, as well as one reception for two yards and another TD.
Uiagalelei admired Travis' growth over the years from afar, especially the last two seasons as Norvell and his staff helped mold him into a Heisman Trophy candidate.
"I think he's done a great job. His transition from when he first got here to now is great," Uiagalelei said. "I think Jordan Travis is a great player. The last two years, I think you can tell that he's on fire and they've done a really great job of developing Jordan Travis and becoming the great player that he was.
"He was fifth in the Heisman voting this year and he didn't even finish the season. I think that speaks volumes to the way they run the quarterback here, and how well they run the offense here."
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HOW TO WATCH ORANGE BOWL
Who: No. 5 FSU (13-0) vs. No. 6 Georgia (12-1)
When/where: 4 p.m., Saturday, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
TV/Radio: ESPN/94.9 FM
Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @Ehsan_Kassim, @jackgwilliams and @JimHenryTALLY on X, formerly Twitter
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DJ Uiagalelei impressed after FSU football visit in transfer portal
