DJ Uiagalelei Talks Decision To Join Oregon State
The stock for DJ Uiagalelei is at an all-time low after losing his job to Cade Klubnik and being forced to transfer away from Clemson. Uiagalelei has found a new home and will be taking his talents to Oregon State for the 2023 college football season. The former number one ranked quarterback coming out of high school in 2020 class went into detail about why he decided to go play for the Beavers.
“I had three schools I liked a lot and Oregon State was one of them,” Uiagalelei said. “When I got in to the portal, I watched a lot of film on different schools and I love Oregon State’s offense and their style of play.
“I love the pro-style offense and feel it’s a better fit for me than any other kind of system. I know there are some schools that are more Air-Raid and you can throw for a ton of yards but I feel this is an NFL system and will help prepare me to get to that level.”
Uiagalelei also continued saying that he’s excited about some of the returning talent that’s already on the roster. He feels that he can thrive with Oregon State:
“They have the whole offensive line coming back and just got a big time transfer from Nevada,” Uiagalelei said. “A lot of the backs and receivers are coming back too and they’re coming off a great season so I’m excited to get in there and learn the system.
“I’ve watched Oregon State in the past and really like what they do. They throw to tight ends and backs and get the ball to the receivers in space. Like I said before, this is an offense that can prepare me for the NFL. It’s not about stats, that’s not what’s important, it’s development and I know I can get that from this coaching staff.”
It remains unclear how big of a factor this played but it sounds like it helped that younger brother Matayo will be playing at Oregon.
“I’m 45 minutes away from Matayo (Uiagalelei, younger brother and Oregon signee) so I’ll be able to see him a lot. I’ll be up there January 9 and I can’t wait. I’m resting my arm right now, not throwing a lot but still working out and getting myself right. Like I said, this is a great opportunity for me and I can’t wait.”
This is Uiagalelei’s last shot to prove he belongs at the NFL level. This past year at Clemson had it’s fair share of ups and downs. Uiagalelei threw for 2,521 yards and 22 touchdowns, while completing 62% of his passes in 2022 while also adding seven additional scores on the ground. If Uiagalelei can improve with the Beavers, maybe the NFL isn’t totally out of reach but we have to see better in 2023.
