Why did DJ Uiagalelei transfer to Florida State? Former Clemson, Oregon State QB with FSU In the age of the college football transfer portal, a player’s career can feel like it spanned across several lifetimes, even if it has only been the customary four or five years. Look no further than DJ Uiagalelei for an example of that trend.
The quarterback has had several different careers and narrative arcs neatly compressed into a five-year window.
The No. 10 national prospect in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings, seemed poised to follow in the footsteps of Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson as the next great quarterback at Clemson. He looked for atonement at Oregon State, where he led a team that played a large portion of the 2023 season in the top 25, when things with the Tigers didn’t go as expected.
He’s back in the ACC now, and he hopes to help Florida State and Mike Norvell continue to build on their incredible season last year.
But how precisely did Uiagalelei come to possess the Seminoles? The following information will help you understand Uiagalelei’s move, its motivation, and how he arrived at this point:
What made DJ Uiagalelei move to Florida?
Following an uneven Clemson career, Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State ahead of the 2023 season, where he went on to throw for a career-best 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns to seven interceptions. In an extremely competitive Pac-12, he helped the Beavers finish 8-5—only the second time the program had finished with more than seven wins since 2013—but after the season, Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith left to take a position as the new head coach at Michigan State, forcing Uiagalelei to look elsewhere to finish his college career.