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Revisiting FSU football's recruitment of QBs Cam Ward, DJ Uiagalelei in transfer portal
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- Revisiting FSU football's recruitment of QBs Cam Ward, DJ Uiagalelei in transfer portal
DJ Uiagalelei or Cam Ward .
That was the question faced by Florida State football coach Mike Norvell , coming off a 13-1 record 2023 and 23-4 two-year record — and in need of a replacement of quarterback Jordan Travis . Heading into Saturday's rivalry matchup between the Seminoles and No. 5 Miami, the answer may seem obvious in hindsight.
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Ward is in Heisman Trophy talks for Miami, while Uiagalelei struggled mightily in five games before an injury potentially cost him the remainder of the season .
REQUIRED READING: FSU football's offense needs a change at Miami. Here's what Mike Norvell must do
Norvell is in his fifth season as the FSU coach and, with one more loss this year, will have his third losing record in Tallahassee. The two winning records came with Travis as the full-time starter in 2023 and 2024, seasons in which he combined to complete 433 of 677 passes (63.9%) for 5,969 yards and 44 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He also added 155 rush attempts for 593 yards (3.8 yards per attempt) and 14 more touchdowns.
Uiagalelei never seemed to gel with the FSU offense during his five games during the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Ward has morphed himself into a Heisman Trophy contender and is in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft.
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Here's what you need to know about why FSU signed Uiagalelei over potentially adding Ward this past offseason:
Why Florida State football signed DJ Uiagalelei over Cam Ward
During the week and weekend of Dec. 15, Ward and Uiagalelei visited Tallahassee to officially visit with Norvell and the Seminoles . Ward was in town from Thursday to Saturday, while Uiagalelei was there from Friday to Sunday, slightly overlapping the two QB visits.
A couple of days before his visit to FSU, Ward was in Miami for another official visit. Uiagalelei, on the other hand, had his sights on the Seminoles, as he did not have any visits scheduled for before or after the visit to Tallahassee. Ward was also considering entering his name in the 2024 NFL draft at the time of the visit.
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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."
On New Year's Day, Uiagalelei announced his commitment to FSU . Ward announced his intention to enter the 2024 NFL draft on the same day. Twelve days later, on Jan. 13, Ward committed to Miami after receiving feedback on the NFL draft. FSU wanted to lock in its quarterback before recruiting other positions, as the portal window had shrunk from 45 days to 30 days.
"A lot went into that decision," Ward said at ACC Media Days . "That's probably one of the most stressful times in my life. Me, my mom, my dad. Every day my decision changed. Went into my parents' room. I told them one day I was going to this school. Next day I was going to the league, next day I was going to Miami. If I had to do it all over again, I would."
Getting Uiagalelei's commitment meant FSU could begin working to rebuild a roster that would soon see 10 players selected in the 2024 NFL draft. Following the addition of Uiagalelei, the Seminoles rounded out the offense with the additions of LSU receiver Jalen Brown , Indiana running back Jaylin Lucas , Alabama receiver Malik Benson , Alabama offensive lineman Terrance Ferguson , Alabama running back Roydell Williams , and Florida offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV.
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FSU did not think it could wait out the 12 days between Uiagalelei's and Ward's decisions, especially with the real possibility Ward could remain in the draft — or pick rival Miami.
Cam Ward stats 2024
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2024:169 of 246 passing (68.7%) for 2,538 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions; 35 rushes for 190 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns
Ward has been off to a hot start in 2024, completing 169 of 246 passes for roughly 2,500 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to five interceptions. He has also averaged over 5 yards per carry and has three rushing touchdowns.
That continues what has been an impressive statistical outing for Ward. In his second and final season with Washington State in 2023, he completed 324 of 486 passes (67%) for 3,732 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed 120 times for 144 yards and eight more scores.
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DJ Uiagalelei stats
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2024 (five games):84 of 156 passing (53.8%) for 1,065 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions
In his lone season with Oregon State in 2023, Uiagalelei completed 180 of 315 passes (57.1% for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He also added 68 rushes for 219 yards and six touchdowns, showing more ability to move around than he did with the Seminoles.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Revisiting Cam Ward's decision to commit to Miami over FSU football
