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Is DJ Uiagalelei Actually Hurt Or Is He Being Benched?

Garrett Burroughs / College Football / October 1, 2024

2025 NFL Draft — (Tom Maher/INPHO via USA TODAY Sports)

Is DJ Uiagalelei Actually Hurt Or Is He Being Benched?

It has been a disastrous season for the Florida State Seminoles, to say the least. They began the season as the number ten teams in the AP Pre-Season Top 25, and have gone 1-3 so far. Transfer QB DJ Uiagalelei has been a major problem for this team, throwing for 1,065 yards, four touchdowns to six interceptions, and a QBR of just 34.4 (110th in the country). It’s safe to say this experiment has failed tremendously, and it might be over.

The incoming reports are that DJ Uiagalelei suffered a hand injury during their loss to SMU this past Saturday…

Are we buying this?

Someone has to mention it. Are we sure Mike Norvell isn’t masking DJ U’s horrific play by an injury to save face? Imagine the amount of grief he would receive if he benched his transfer QB just four games into his career in your program. He’d never hear the end of it. It would follow him everywhere he went. This is what he had to say on the matter.

Full quote via 247sports.com:

“DJ, that’s something we’re going to evaluate throughout the course of the week and see where it goes from there,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said earlier Monday.

The most cop-out, read-between-the-lines answer you can give. Taking it week-by-week is basically saying “We are hoping Brock Glenn plays well enough to justify not benching him when Uiagalelei gets healthy”. Keep in mind, Glenn is a redshirt freshman with 55 career attempts, going against a 3-1 Clemson team this weekend.

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Read this situation as you will, but it sounds to me like DJ Uiagalelei is benched. Turning to a redshirt freshman is certainly a decision, but at 1-4 on the year why not try him out? He certainly can’t play any worse than DJ U, that’s for sure. Could his hand actually be hurt? Of course. If it is, we wish him a speedy recovery. But this writer just isn’t buying it.

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Garrett Burroughs

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Lars

6 months ago

Re: Grief given Norvell if he benched is transfer QB 4 weeks in…

I agree this is likely a “stealth benching” more so than a legit long term injury which would keep a QB off the field, but for different reasons than you. I think the face being saved is more DJU’s. This “injury” allows FSU to get what it needs (getting DJU off the field) while still allowing him to look like he wasn’t benched, so he (DJU) can hold onto his pride and subjective hopes of some kind of pro football career.

I don’t think Norvell would get any grief at all from FSU supporters if he straight up benched him. DJU has consistently shown he simply doesn’t have what it takes to put FSU in a position to win games (not that it’s all his fault, but his shortcomings are glaring). He came in for one year to collect a check and put up some stats, and so far he’s only doing one of those things. Season’s done, may as well get experience for those who aren’t gone next year. Start looking ahead. .