Replacing Jordan Travis as Florida State quarterback won't be an easy task. At least DJ Uiagalelei has some experience there.
Uiagalelei is the new starting QB for FSU football in 2024. Travis was beloved in Tallahassee, leading a dynamic offense and getting buzz for the Heisman Trophy before a gruesome leg injury ended his 2023 season early.
Coach Mike Norvell brought in several new faces from the transfer portal. Chief among them is Uiagalelei, the former No. 1 quarterback recruit who previously played against FSU when he was the Clemson quarterback . He was the heir apparent to to Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence , but his time with the Tigers came crashing down when he was replaced by Cade Klubnik in the 2022 ACC Championship Game.
After a bounce-back season at Oregon State , Uiagalelei has come to Florida State looking to prove he is still worthy of being a high NFL Draft pick. He'll get his first crack with the Seminoles on Saturday against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland . Here's what to know about the new FSU starting QB, including his stats, family and, first things first, how to say his name .
David John Uiagalelei goes by DJ. He is of Samoan descent, like Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa . With Samoan names, when you see "ag," pronounce it by turning the "a" sound into a "u" and adding an "n." That's how you pronounce Uiagalelei "oo-ee-UNG-ah-leh-lay."
Uiagalelei's parents emigrated from Samoa to Hawaii, but DJ was born in Inland Empire, California .
DJ Uiagalelei was born April 17, 2001, making him 23 years old. He played three seasons at Clemson and one at Oregon State before transferring to Florida State for the 2024 season. This will be his fifth and final season of NCAA eligibility.
DJ Uiagalelei was a five-star quarterback recruit at St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. He was named 2018 National Offensive Player of the Year by USA TODAY and was graded the No. 2 overall recruit of the Class of 2020 by 247 Sports . As the top-rated pro-style quarterback recruit, he led St. John Bosco to the No. 1 national ranking.
DJ Uiagalelei committed to Clemson and was expected to take over from Trevor Lawrence to keep the Tigers in national championship contention. He started two games his freshman season in 2020 and showed off his potential, throwing for 781 yards and four touchdowns in those starts, including 439 yards and two TDs in a double-overtime thriller at Notre Dame.
But things didn't pan out for Uiagalelei once Lawrence left. He threw for 2,246 yards and just nine touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 2,521 yards, 22 TDs and seven INTs, but there will still signs of struggle. He threw for more than 300 yards only once, and in the regular-season finale against South Carolina , he went 8 for 29 for 99 yards. Dabo Swinney pulled him for Cade Klubnik in the first quarter of the ACC championship game, and two days after the freshman led the Tigers to a 39-10 win, Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal.
"I didn't want to do what I was doing at Clemson ," Uiagalelei told The Athletic after landing at Oregon State. "I didn't really like what we did there scheme-wise. I didn't think we did very much. I thought it was very basic.
"It didn't help me out as a quarterback and play to my strengths. I wanted to go somewhere that would play to my strengths and go somewhere that would develop me for the NFL. Play-action, work under center, throw the ball deep."
Uiagalelei and FSU play Klubnik and Clemson on October 5 in Tallahassee.
Matayo Uiagalelei is DJ's younger brother. He was born in 2005. He played with DJ for a season at St. John Bosco, catching passes from his brother, and now plays for Oregon.
The Uiagalelei brothers faced each other last season when Matayo's Ducks hosted DJ's Oregon State Beavers . Matayo sacked his brother in the Ducks ' 31-7 win to close the regular season, and the two had an emotional meeting after the game.
The Los Angeles Dodgers , Uiagalelei's favorite childhood baseball team, picked him on the last day of the 2023 MLB Draft. He was the 610th overall pick.
Uiagalei played baseball in high school but did not continue into college. However, an MLB.com report from draft day says he agreed to the pick as a backup plan.
Uiagalelei had a strong season at Oregon State in 2023. He threw for a career-high 2,638 yards for 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His completion percentage dipped to 57.1%, however, and he still didn't throw for more than 300 yards.
Uiagalelei opted to hit the transfer portal again instead of entering the NFL Draft, looking to bolster his resume with one more season in college football. He announced on New Year's Day that he was coming to Florida State .
Born in Texas in 2000, Ava Pritchard played volleyball at Clemson from 2018 to 2021. She got her master's degree from Clemson in 2022.
Pritchard followed Uiagalelei to Oregon when he transferred there, and she's been posting photos of her time in Tallahassee . The two got engaged in Hawaii on May 11, 2024.
Here's a look at DJ Uiagalelei's stats heading into the 2024 college football season:
Completions/attempts:695/1,176
Completion percentage:59.1%
Passing yards:8,319
Passing touchdowns:57
Interceptions:24
QB rating:130.4
Rushes:343
Rushing yards:1,132
Rushing touchdowns:21
Time: Noon Saturday, August 24
Place: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider required), Fubo (7-day free trial ), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
Streaming options include Fubo , which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Week 0: vs. Georgia Tech, noon Saturday, August 24 in Dublin, Ireland
Week 1: vs. Boston College , 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 2
Week 2: Open
Week 3: vs. Memphis, noon Saturday, September 14
Week 4: vs. California, Saturday, September 21
Week 5: at SMU, Saturday, September 28
Week 6: vs. Clemson, Saturday, October 5
Week 7: Open
Week 8: at Duke, 7 p.m. Friday, October 18
Week 9: at Miami, Saturday, October 26
Week 10: vs. North Carolina , Saturday, November 2
Week 11: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 9
Week 12: Open
Week 13: vs. Charleston Southern, Saturday, November 23
Week 14: vs. Florida, Saturday, November 30
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: DJ Uiagalelei stats, history of Florida State quarterback 2024
